


The Story of Three Friends

by Dandelion657, FrendlyEquestrian, lavita_pazza



Category: Samurai Ballad Love: PARTY (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:05:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8826016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dandelion657/pseuds/Dandelion657, https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrendlyEquestrian/pseuds/FrendlyEquestrian, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavita_pazza/pseuds/lavita_pazza
Summary: Daitaro is Saizo’s wife and a very close friend to Bella. Daitaro was a muscular woman who was slightly taller than Bella. She had naturally long straight brown hair with blonde streaks in the front around her face and she had hazel eyes. Daitaro was a match made for Saizo as the two of them loved to spar- with wooden swords as Saizo would worry he would hurt his wife. While Saizo was off completing his assassin missions, he would leave Daitaro in the care of Shingen. Shingen decided to hire her as someone to exercise the horses and possibly teach Bella how to ride. Daitaro took great care of the horses and Bella and her were quick friends, basically inseparable when the two are together. Now that Bella was more comfortable with riding, he allows her to go on little rides if Dai is around or himself. One could call Daitaro Bella’s protector as she was always looking out for her and making sure she was okay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was created using some of the characters from the app Samurai Love Ballad Party. We have created our own characters as well. Chapters might be updated irregularly but I will try to get them up quick. Some of the characters go out of character to fit with the story. 
> 
> Much love - Bella, Dai & Chiho

Chapter 1

 Hovering over the pot, Shingen was holding her long brown hair back. Since six that morning, Bella was nauseous and had thrown up about four times. It has happened every morning for the past two weeks. Bella leaned back as Shingen held a cup of water out to her. Shaking her head, Bella wanted the water gone. “If I eat or drink I am only going to expel it back.”

“You need to stay hydrated, Bells.” Bella wiped her lips with a handkerchief that had been placed nearby. Reluctantly taking the glass, Bella lifted it to her lips and drank it slowly. Shingen was always a worry-wart when it came to her. She was his energy and she made his life meaningful. Wearing her long pajama set, and he only wearing pants, the tiresome couple looked at each other, as tiredness clouded their eyes. “I am calling for the medicinal man today. I want to you to be cured sooner rather than later.” Bella nodded her head as she started to stand, Shingen held onto her elbow to support her if she falls.

“Shingen, take care of yourself-“ She said as she climbed back into the futon. The comfort of the bed started to take over her body. Shingen smiled and he bent down to kiss her forehead.

“I’ll make sure you are well taken care of, Milady.” He said, smiling as he pulled the cover over her. Bella couldn’t help but drift back off into sleep, while Shingen went to fetch the doctor.

\------------------

A few hours later, the doctor exited the bedroom and looked at Shingen with a smile on his face. Shingen looked at him with complete worry, and the doctor couldn’t help but smile. “Congratulations, Lord Takeda. You are going to be a father when Fuyu comes around.” Shingen seemed confused for a minute then he brightened up.

“She’s okay to see, right?”

“Of course. Milady is healthy as a horse- just carrying a little one now.” He said as he packed up his medical supplies. Once Shingen opened the bedroom door, he found Bella sitting up on the futon; she too was in fact beaming with happiness. Bella had her hands over her abdomen and she had tears streaking her cheeks.

“Well I heard what your condition is- and it isn’t deadly.” Shingen said playfully as he sat down next to her. Bella couldn’t help but laugh, as she lightly pushed him.

“Milord, are you not happy?” She asked, her head down, brunette hair now covering her face. He brushed her hair back, and he smiled brightly.

“Of course I am happy. I have the most beautiful woman in the world and she is now carrying my child.” He said, wiping her tear stained face. “I am the happiest man alive.”

“As am I, Shingen.” She said, looking up at him with a bright smile. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in his chest.

“I think it is time for celebration-“ Before he could continue his sentence, Bella put a finger over his lips.

“We should wait. The doctor said that if we tell everyone, and the child does not make it-“

“You are right, Bella.” He said, standing up now. Bella perked up and she sat up even taller now. There was an exact foot between them but they always managed to make it work.

“Shingen? What are you thinking of?”

“Tiny little footsteps around the castle now.” He said, looking at her. “The laughter of children, running away from one of the guards, and you being all motherly.”

“I can’t wait to see you being all fatherly..” She said, as she swung her legs over from the futon and stood up. Shingen looked at the window and walked over to her. “Us yelling at the children to stay out of the trees, off the horses and out of the bushes and behind the gates.” He wrapped his arms around her, and stuffed his face into her hair as best as he could. He swung with her back and forth like the sea. Bella looked up at him, slightly puzzled.

“I would love too, but is it safe to travel?”

“I think it would be. I’ll get a carriage set up for you right away.”

“But if we don’t want to tell people, then we should do what we normally do. Which is to walk.”

“But you’re with child-“

“We can hide it for a little longer.” She said with a soft smile as he let go of her. She opened the window and let the warm summer air into the bedroom. She rests her hand on the windowsill and looked out at the cherry blossom trees.

“Winter is when our child will be born.” Shingen said as he sat back down on the futon. “The harder of the seasons to have a child.”

“Because of the cold and the lack of warmth-“ Bella said, looking down at her still flat abdomen. A dog barked from underneath them, a tan shiba-inu named Akira. She was a gift to Bella for her first birthday together with Shingen. “Oh Akira.” She said as the dog whined from underneath them. “You are the best dog.” She said, wrapping her arms around the dog.

“We will leave tomorrow morning. I will have a few horses prepared for us in case you fatigue and get tired.” The day continued on as planned, meetings, training, and some horse training. Bella on the other hand made some clothing, made lunch, dinner, gossiped among the staff and almost spilled the news of the pregnancy. Bella was in bed early and was reading a scroll that she had pulled out. Shingen entered a while later, the candle was burning low and Bella was peacefully at rest. 

\------------------

The next day was early for the couple. They had awoken earlier than normal and prepared for the trip to the beach. Bella stretched her arms out as Shingen picked up their luggage. Bella was wearing a light blue and pink kimono and Shingen wore his usual kimono. “Who else is joining us today?” Bella asked as she rubbed her eyes. The dog followed the two peacefully as they made their way towards the stables.

“Saizo, Daitaro and Yukimura.”

“Dai’s coming?!” Bella exclaimed as her eyes lit up. Daitaro is Saizo’s wife and a very close friend to Bella. Daitaro was a muscular woman who was slightly taller than Bella. She had naturally long straight brown hair with blonde streaks in the front around her face and she had hazel eyes. Daitaro was a match made for Saizo as the two of them loved to spar- with wooden swords as Saizo would worry he would hurt his wife. While Saizo was off completing his assassin missions, he would leave Daitaro in the care of Shingen. Shingen decided to hire her as someone to exercise the horses and possibly teach Bella how to ride. Daitaro took great care of the horses and Bella and her were quick friends, basically inseparable when the two are together. Now that Bella was more comfortable with riding, he allows her to go on little rides if Dai is around or himself. One could call Daitaro Bella’s protector as she was always looking out for her and making sure she was okay. 

“Of course. I requested that she come to keep you company.” He said with a sheepish grin. Bella could not help her excitement as she picked up her pace to a small skip.

“I miss her so much! This trip is really going to be exciting!” She said with a bright giggle. Shingen tried to contain her energy as he was fearing the health of their child. As they approached the barn, they saw Daitaro tacking up the last horse, which was Yuu. Yuu is Shingen’s older prized gelding. He is a beginner horse that Bella is in absolute love with. He takes great care of her, through all the terrible footing, spooks, gunfire- everything. There were five horses in total tacked, a horse for Yukimura, Saizo, Shingen, Daitaro and Bella along with three mules to carry luggage and supplies. “Dai!” Bella called out as she ran towards the woman. “I missed you so!” She exclaimed as she hugged her, Dai knew that Bella had been ill recently as she cancelled her riding lessons.

“I missed you too, Bella. How are you feeling?” Daitaro asked as she also turned around and pressed her hand on Bella’s forehead.

“Still nauseous, but I am doing okay now.” Bella said, Shingen had walked over to his own mount, his prized fearless and young bay and white stallion. Daitaro raised an eyebrow and nodded her head.

“Okay. Are you still capable to ride?”

“I am healthy as a horse!”

“Of course you are. Now up you go-” Dai said as she gave Bella a leg up onto the gelding. Shingen, Saizo and Yukimura were already on their horses. After making sure Bella was settled atop of Yuu, Dai got on her palomino stallion with bright blue eyes. Inazuma was a beautiful, rare horse that came as payment for an assassin contract. The horse did not like Saizo one bit and Saizo was about to end his life until Dai stepped in the middle and spared the horse’s life. Since then, Inazuma has been loyal to Daitaro, and only she could ride him. He was bred for speed and endurance, as he came from a different land. Shingen, along with Saizo, kept a careful eye on their wives, so the two ladies rode ahead of them but behind Yukimura. The girls of course gossiped the entire ride to the inn at the beach, Bella was still surprised that Shingen had not purchased a house on the beach yet. After the long ride, Bella looked very tired. Shingen held his hands out as she slid down off of Yuu 

“You look pale.” Shingen’s voice was filled with worry as he gently placed his hand on Bella’s cheek. But she turned her head and looked away from him.

“I am just fine, Shingen.” Yukimura had gone off to rent a few rooms in the nearby hotel. Bella’s gaze went to the waterline.

“We could go for a swim in the ocean if you are just fine.” Shingen said teasingly as Yukimura came out and nodded his head. They had gotten rooms in the local inn that they always stayed at. Shingen helped Bella undo the luggage from the mules and insisted he carry the heavier ones or leave them to Saizo or Yukimura. “Milady, just let me take the heavier ones-”

“Shingen, I can take them.” Arguing quietly, they would smile if Dai, Saizo or Yukimura passed by- Dai of course eyed them suspiciously. Bella reluctantly agreed that she shouldn’t be carrying any of the heavier items and took the lighter ones. After they brought their luggage to their rooms, dinner was to be served. Bella and Dai both sat next to their significant other, Bella was hardly touching any of the delicious delicacies that were placed in front of her.

“Bella, you need to eat.” Dai’s voice was concerned, as she always was. Bella was very known for not eating properly, which is why she is so tiny. Both Dai and Shingen worried over her health, as last winter she had gotten very sick from lack of nutrition.  
“I am really not that hungry-”

“Bella you must.” Shingen said, Bella sighed as she placed some of the meal on her own plate. It was mostly plain rice with a meat of some sort. She had a very plain but filling meal with a tea that helps with the nausea, on Shingen’s request.

After dinner ended, Shingen had insisted everyone relax and take the night off because the entire day had been spent travelling to the beach. Bella and Shingen went off to their room, Bella making sure to say goodnight to Dai. She wanted to make sure that she still was not suspicious of anything. Daitaro and Saizo went off to their own room after saying their goodnights to the others, leaving Yukimura to wonder off to his room. “Make sure to order some of that tea, it really helped with the nausea.” Bella said with a soft yawn, both she and Shingen pulled out the futon and started to make the bed.

“Already have.” Shingen smiled, the two of them enjoyed the quietness of the inn. Once undressed, the two of them were sitting comfortably close, Shingen’s arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulder. The brunette was already closing her eyes as they talked about the future and their plans. She fell asleep once the clock tolled eleven, Shingen had carefully picked her up and placed her gently on the futon, covering her up with the thin blanket. Their dog followed the two, and Shingen placed his finger over his lips. “Stay there Akira. Watch over her.” He whispered as he opened the slider door, finding Yukimura outside.

“That took longer than expected, Milord. Who would be watching Milady?” Yukimura said, his arms crossed in front of his chest as Shingen dressed in his kimono once again. 

“Akira is standing guard. But where is Saizo?”

“On the beach with his lady, shall I call for him?” Yukimura asked, Shingen shook his head in disagreement and followed him to Yukimura’s room.

“There is no need to displease two wives in one night. Let us talk strategy before heading in for the night.” Shingen said, as the closed the screen door behind them.

\------------------ 

Saizo and Dai walked to their room in a comfortable silence. When they arrive at their room, Dai started getting the bedding ready for them to sleep when Saizo comes up from behind putting his hands on her hips.

“Do you want to go for a walk along the shoreline?” Saizo asked her having noticed her acting a bit differently. She nods as her response and follows him out the door and to the water. The moon was high in the sky and casting a beautiful light on the dark water. They stood there for a few minutes until Saizo broke the silence. “You think there is something off about Bella, don’t you?”

“I do but I do not know what. That is what is really making me upset. I notice that she’s unusually pale but yet she says she is as healthy as a horse. I feel like I should know what is wrong but I don’t. I suppose I should just wait until she decides to tell me.”

Saizo nods along as she contemplates her thoughts to show he is listening. When she seems to be done talking, he looks over at her face and sees her looking up at the moon quietly studying it. Saizo pokes her side and says, “Come let’s take a walk.”

They walk along the beach side by side quietly until they hear rustling from behind them. They both immediately focus on the sounds until the see a long ninja following them. They recognize that they are not a ninja from the Takeda clan, but from the enemy’s group. Saizo looks at Dai and hands her one of his two swords. She looks as it before actually taking it from him and readying it in her hand. This is her first time carrying an actual sword but she is used to the feel of the wooden sword so it is not hard to get accustomed to this one.

The other man steps up and laughs while saying, “Isn’t this a surprise? A man not protecting his lady but letting her fight.”

The other man was so focused on Saizo and laughing at his decisions that he did not even notice the fact that Daitaro had moved from her place next to Saizo to behind the enemy. Saizo nods ever so slightly telling Daitaro that she can move in. Dai moves up right behind the enemy and puts the sword against his throat. The man is so taken aback by the fact that a women actually managed to get a move in on him that he again missed a movement this time made by Saizo. Daitaro stood there with the sword against his neck internally laughing at the fact that the man hadn’t noticed Saizo move until he felt the hilt of a sword hitting hit stomach.

The man dropped to his knees and laid there on the ground before them. “Well that was easier than expected.” Daitaro finally spoke up after a few seconds.

Saizo looks at her and smiles at the sight of her standing there with the sword still ready in her hand the way he taught her back at the castle. “You did well and used your newly acquired skills of the ninja tonight. If you were nervous at all you did not show it and that is a skill within itself especially a ninja in training like yourself. Come let us get back to the inn.”

Dai handed the sword back to Saizo, smiled at him, and then slung her arm around his waist before walking back to the inn with him feeling successful.

They decided that the should tell Shingen and Yukimura of the event that transcended that night in the morning. So once they got back to the inn, they got changed and fell asleep together.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shingen was the first one awake out of the Takeda clan. Bella had fallen asleep nestled in his strong arms, a place where she felt safe and comfortable when she was not feeling well. The sun rose quietly as the sound of the waves crashing broke the quiet silence. He played with her hair, until she started to move a little bit. “Morning, Milady.” Bella let out a small groan and her arms went to her abdomen. Shingen leaned down, and gently kissed her forehead. He had slightly woken her when he crawled into bed earlier that morning, only to have explained that he had gone to the bathroom. Sleepy hazel eyes peered at Shingen and quickly closed, as he pulled her closer. Mornings were Shingen’s favorite part of the day to cuddle with his wife as she was typically too tired to move. “How are you feeling? Up for a morning stroll?” He asked as he placed another soft kiss on her forehead. Bella whined as he moved her, as her stomach was upset.

“Not too fast, Shingen.” She managed to say, Shingen couldn’t help but chuckle. He moved his hand to her abdomen, his large palm could easily cover her entire abdomen. Bella raised her arms and let out a yawn as he did that. “I would like some of that tea though.”

“Then tea it is.” He smiled, still watching the sleepy haze that encased Bella. Her skin was still fairly pale, but she had more color today. Her chest rose and fell evenly as she breathed normally. The quiet morning was disturbed by a loud sudden knocking on the slider door. Shingen had jumped out of the futon and quickly dressed himself as he was partially dressed from the previous night. Bella on the other hand pulled the sheet up over her chest, as she was in thin summer clothing. 

“Milord, are you awake? There has been troublesome news-” It was Yukimura, and he seemed to be slightly distressed.

“Of course I am. You also woke up Milady-” He said, as he opened the slider door. At that time, Daitaro had entered the room. Bella rolled over quickly to act like she was sleeping, as she only wanted the morning nausea to go away. Daitaro was not a morning person, so seeing her filled with energy and properly dressed confused the brunette. Daitaro had sat down on the futon besides Bella and gently placed her hand on the sleeping females shoulder, shaking her gently.

“Bella wake up. We are going to take you out for a lesson at the seashore.” She said, Shingen had already left the room with Yukimaru. Dai was eating a crisp apple and handed one to Bella. “I am assuming you did not eat anything here is an apple and some of that tea you had last night.” Dai said, as she also handed her a small tea cup. Bella sat up in the futon, stretching her arms and she nodded her head. 

“I’ll get dressed before I eat.” She said, putting a robe over her nightgown. She grabbed her riding clothes and went behind the divider. It was hard to hide the bouts of nausea as she tried to dress quickly. 

“Bella? Are you okay?” Dai seemed slightly concerned as she talked from the divider.

“I am doing just fine. This happens every morning, don’t worry.” Bella said sheepishly as she emerged from behind the divider. Her clothes felt a little more tighter than normal, but she did not say anything. She picked up the tea, and sipped it gently. The tea really did help with the nausea as it had a hint of peppermint. Dai raised her eyebrow and studied her friend carefully.

“Is there anything you want to tell me, Bells?” 

“I- uhh.” She hesitated for a moment as she caught her train of thought. “Can we take it easy while riding today? Could we also possibly go into the town for some shopping?” Bella asked as she took a bite of the apple. 

“Yes- but only if you feel up for it. I don’t want to be the blame for your illness-”

“Trust me, you are not.” Bella said underneath her breath. She giggled softly as she placed the now empty tea cup down. Dai and Bella were catching up on what happened in the few months they had been separated. Dai had gone off with Saizo to a distant land for an undercover job of some sorts. Bella wished Shingen did things like that, but too many people know him so that would be very hard. Bella also spotted a black and red sword that was attached to Dai’s belt. It was obvious of course, but why would she be needing to carry a sword? Bella decided that it was best to leave the question alone, as she was too- keeping a secret away from her best friend. Once both horses were tacked, Bella gracefully mounted Yuu and Dai on her own horse. “It is such a beautiful morning to go on a ride.” Bella said, in awe at the landscape. Senior couples had come out of their homes to walk at this early, peaceful time as not too many children were out to run around.

“It is beautiful here. Maybe we could head into town first and finish the day with a small jog on the beach?” Dai asked, knowing that Bella’s would fatigue during the day if she was already this tired in the morning. 

“That sounds delightful.” Bella said as the two of them headed off into town. They dismounted their horses and tied them to a post as there were no horses allowed in town. The overpopulation of the port would scare them and could possibly hurt someone. Bella stayed relatively close to Dai of course, as she did not want to find herself between a rock and a hard place. “Oh! That store looks like they have some rare ingredients that we can use to make dessert later!” Bella said, as she went towards the store front. There she purchased a few delicacies, ingredients such as salt, ginger, peppermint and a few others and she put them in her satchel after paying for them. Dai did as well, she bought some of the same items and some that were different. 

“Bella. It is close to lunch, do you want to stop by a cafe?” Dai asked, the two of them had been browsing and purchasing items all day. “I know you have not eaten.”

“Of course. I am kind of hungry.” Bella agreed, she remembered when her mother was pregnant and her mother would not stop eating. They looked around for a small shop, and found a nice little one. Family owned and not too popular- it reminded Bella of her Father’s Cafe back in the capital. When they entered they were greeted politely and seated promptly. 

“What would you like, Miss?” Asked the plum older female, she must be the wife of the owner. 

“Can I have a rice bowl?” Bella asked, she could really only hold down bland foods. Dai shot her a glare as one of Bella’s favorite dishes was on the menu. 

“Of course! What about you?”

“Can I have the udon?” Dai asked, as the waitress smiled and nodded her head. She quietly took the menus and went back to place their orders. “Bella- kare raisu is on the menu.”

“I saw, I wanted to change it up a bit.” Bella said, sitting neatly. “My stomach has been rather upset.”

“You are going to faint again if you don’t eat properly.”

“I do realize that but I really can’t hold anything down.” Bella said, she looked up and looked as if she wanted to stop talking about it. Which was thankfully appreciated. They two ate in silence for a bit, until it was time to leave. “Thank you for bringing me, Dai.” Bella said, smiling softly. Dai nodded and let out a smile. The two of them headed back to where their horses were, and they mounted and headed back to the inn. 

Both Bella and Dai untacked the horses at the inn’s stable and the two of them made their way to the bath. “My body aches-” was one of the first thing that escaped Bella’s mouth as she stepped into the warm bath. Dai was already in the bath, lounging on one of the rocks. Dai had kept the meeting with a rival clans ninja a secret from Bella, as she did not want her to freak out about safety and such. 

“What else is new? You’re always sore-”

“NO I AM NOT!” Bella said with a loud giggle. They had brought fresh clothing to the bath area. They two of them were happy to be resting peacefully now. They had finished their baths and were just about to exit the tub.

“Bella. I need you to be serious for a second.”

“What is it?”

“Is everything okay between you and Shingen?” Dai seemed very concerned, as she dried herself off. Bella shook her head.

“Shingen and I are doing fine. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know- you just seem off.”

“You’ll find out soon, Dai.” Bella said as she put her clothes on, carrying the dirty ones both she and Dai walked to Shingen and Bella’s room. Only to find Shingen sitting in the middle of all of his generals. Saizo, Yukimura, Sasuke, and a few others Bella could hardly recognize. Sasuke was the little child ninja that was part of Yukimura’s group called the Sanada Ten Braves. It may seem weird to have a mere twelve year old as a ninja but he was very talented and skilled. He liked to call Saizo “sensei”. Both ladies noticed that there was a table set in the middle of them, with what looked like battle plans. 

“Milady-” Bella had placed the laundry in a hamper by the divider. She was trying to hide the rage that was starting to consume her. 

“Bella let me explain-”

“No, Shingen. I do not need an explanation. I wanted to have a nice outing with you, to not have battles every time we leave the castle. For you to not go to war and scare me half to death when you come home battered and bruised.” Bella’s eyes began to tear as the anger started to consume her. “I do not want someone to bring back your dead body Shingen! I want you here alive and healthy!” She said, “For the sake of our future, you are going to put your life on the line because of what? Some threat that was made? Or someone looked at you the wrong way?” She said as she threw her arms up in the air knowing she sounded a little crazy but she did not care. “I did not sign up to be the wife of a deceased samurai! I need you alive!” She yelled, as she turned around and stormed out of the room. Bella ran towards the stable of course, as that is where she found peace. 

“Dai- can you make sure she’s okay?” Daitaro sat there, seemingly confused. Until she started to put all of the pieces together. 

“Is she-?” With a confirmation nod from Shingen, Daitaro smiled brightly. “I am going to see if Milady is okay and not having a mental breakdown.” She called out as she left the room. Saizo had a sly knowing grin on his face as he looked over at Shingen. Shingen turned his head and he let out a chuckle.

“Congratulations.” Saizo said, the two of them looked at Yukimura, who seemed utterly confused at what just happened. “Have you not figured it out, dear?” Yukimura shook his head in disagreement.

“No I have not.” 

“You will find out when you are older, dear.” Saizo says with a smirk. “Or in a few months-”

“The world’s most desirable virgin is still innocent.” Shingen said, as he went back to the plans. 

\------------------

While the men talk battle, Bella was in the stable with Yuu out on the ties. She had groomed him and she had her saddle out along with his bridle. Tears streaking her cheeks as her hormones were all over the place. She had a weaved pad on his back as she lifted his saddle up onto his back. Dai entered the inn’s stables, and noticed the very familiar grey gelding on the ties. “Bella? What are you doing?” She asked, as she could easily hear the soft sniffles of her friend. 

“I want to go back to the castle-” She said, wiping her tears onto the sleeve of her kimono.

“You know that I cannot allow you to go back on your own. Especially while you are carrying a child. I saw how pained you were on the trip here. You would never make it back on your own.” Bella knew Dai had a point there, she was so tired by the time she made it to the inn. Bella looked at Yuu, and then back at Dai. She had Yuu mostly tacked up, the only thing was the bridle that was left. She loosened the girth and let it fall to the other side. 

“How did you find out about the child?” Bella asked, she was trying to keep it hidden, as teling before showing is considered a bad omen. She lifted the saddle off of the horse’s back and placed it gently on the ground. 

“Well, with your pained expression on the way here, your statement about feeling sick every morning, and the outburst back at the inn, it wasn’t hard to put it together. I think you underestimate the amount I know you and can read you.” Dai says as she helps take the saddle back to the tack room and leads Yuu back to his designated stall. Bella did the best she could, through the troublesome emotions. 

“I just want to go back home, to the castle.” She said softly, rubbing Yuu’s nose as he faced her, munching on his hay contently. 

“I know you do. If anyone understands that, it would be me. I know how you feel every time Shingen goes off to war again. Because do you know who else leaves with him?” Daitaro rubs Bella’s back knowing she is close to tears. 

“Me?” She asked, slightly confused. She was still rubbing Yuu’s nose. 

“Well yes your heart goes with him as if to keep him safe but no that is not what I meant. Saizo goes with him too. I have to sit at the castle knowing that at any moment he could get killed but I know that if I let myself get consumed by those thought then I would go crazy. That’s why I decided to put my mind to something else. I ride the horses, I go into the garden and practice all of the things that he taught me. It helps me get through it because I know I cannot stop him from going. When you fell for Shingen you knew he was going to be in and out of wars. There is nothing you can do to change that besides be supportive and pray that he will make it back from the battlefield. That is the best you can do for you, him, and the baby. Who else is going to be there to pray for him if you decide to leave?” Bella could not respond to this, but instead she put her head on her friend’s shoulder, staunching her soft tears and sobs. She knew what she said was crazy, but it wasn’t in the moment. Bella looked at her and wiped the bottom of her eyes once again. 

“I should probably apologize, shouldn’t I?” Bella asked, her eyes still filled with tears and her voice a little hoarse, but her fears were true- and too bluntly said. Bella asked, letting go of her friend. She kept her head down, as if she was regretting what she got angry about.

“I do think it would be best for you to talk to him about it. I’m sure he would understand when you calmly express your fears. Why don’t we get back to the inn so you can talk to him?”

“It is almost close to dinner anyway, so why not.”

“Good point. We will make sure you get your favorite food and some of that tea you like.”

“Oh! The peppermint tea? That really helps with the nausea-” Bella sheepishly admitted, her cheeks turned a soft pink as if she was embarrassed.

“I would have figured because once you drank it I saw the color in your cheeks come back slightly and you became a little more chipper. Let’s get back.”

Little did the two wives know but their husbands were standing in the hayloft observing and listening to their conversations. When they hear that they are going back to the inn they too make their way back before the ladies find out they were there.

Nodding her head in agreement, Bella and Daitaro left the stables. The two of them freshened up before finding the men for dinner. Knowing that they would probably be in the large room, that was where they stopped first. Only finding Sasuke and Yukimura, the two started to wonder where Shingen and Saizo were. A bunch of people ran past the two, as if something important was happening outside- and of course Shingen and Saizo were sparring outside. 

Upon seeing this sight, Daitaro, keeping to the shadows, readied her new sword and crept up behind Shingen. Saizo looked surprised to see her there but gave her look telling her to continue. She readjusted her sword before going to hit the hilt of it into Shingen’s side. However, Shingen expected this and turned catching the hilt in his hand an inch away from his body.

While chuckling, Shingen looked at both Saizo and Daitaro and said “I give in. But only for now. We will pick up with this another time. For the time being, let us get dinner and find Bella.”   
Upon hearing her name, Bella tried to find her way out of the crowd. Only she would get lost in it. She could spot Shingen from a mile away of course so she made her way towards her husband, Daitaro and Saizo. “You guys did good. I couldn’t do that even if I tried-”

“Who said you could even touch a sword in your condition Milady?” Shingen said protectively, he wrapped his arm around her waist. “I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.” He said, as they all walked into the inn. All of them freshened up, washing their hands and faces. Dinner was served for the Takeda Clan in the large banquet hall. Numerous dishes of different types were set up and spread out around the table. 

The ladies sat next to their husbands and Yukimura next to Sasuke. The rest of the men scattered themselves around the hall eating and drinking. Bella had somewhat regained her already small appetite eating a rice ball. She ate anything bland to make sure her stomach was well settled as she did not need to be vomiting every five minutes. She sat by Shingen quietly, as she ate contently. 

“Yukimura come here.” Shingen said, as he looked at Bella gently. Bella raised an eyebrow, as last time he did this he almost wedded the two. Yukimura reluctantly comes close to Shingen, a slight blush upon his cheeks. “Did you know, Bella is having a baby?”

“N-no I didn’t Milord.”

“You see, that’s what we were talking about. You need to find a lady-”

“Like Dai here.” Saizo piped in, his arm over his wife’s shoulder. Daitaro couldn’t help but blush as well.

“Or just need to get laid-”

“Now, Shingen. We can’t ruin ‘The Most Desirable Virgin’ thing he’s got going for him just yet.” Saizo piped in with a snicker. Bella was biting the inside of her cheek to staunch her laughter, so she picked up the tea cup and took a sip from it.

“Yukimura, listen here. You’re young, nice and all the girls like you. Why not just flirt with one?”

“H-HOW DO YOU FLIRT?”

“Shingen! Be polite! Not everyone knows how to do things!” Bella said, shooting a glare at her slightly drunken husband. “I am deeply sorry, Yukimura.” Bella hears a laugh from across the table and finds Daitaro is the culprit. 

“I am not sorry for this conversation. This is too funny. Yukimura, dear old friend of mine, most desired virgin, you need to get yourself out there and find yourself a lady!” Saizo laughs from beside his wife, barely able to contain himself.

“Dai’s right, dear. I’m sure if you went out into town, where there are many people, should be able to find SOMEONE.” Saizo says with a smirk and goes back to laughing.Yukimura’s face turned bright red as he was very embarrassed.

“Yukimura, don’t worry about it. You will find someone eventually.” Bella tried to cheer him up, but everyone’s laughter drowned her out. Bella kept shooting glares at her slightly drunken husband, but knew that she couldn’t get the conversation back on track. Bella couldn’t handle the boisterous room anymore so she excused herself from the hall. Shingen watched as she slid through the doors. 

Daitaro looked over at Shingen and saw he was making a slightly upset expression and said; “Why don’t we all head our separate ways for the night?” She was hoping that Shingen would get the hint and go talk to Bella about what happened earlier. Shingen stood from where he was, and he saw the slider door close behind Bella. 

“Why don’t we rest for the night and spend the day in leisure tomorrow. The day after, we are travelling back to the castle. Enjoy your stay for the remainder of time.” Shingen said, as he drank some water to sober up. Bella had already made it back to their room and had undressed into her nightgown. She had also set up the futon, and looked at the table that had a display of Shingen’s battle plan. Bella knew what all of this meant, that there would be war soon and it upset her, but deep down, Bella knew it was best. Shingen appeared in the room a while later. He looked at his wife with a flashy smile. Akira was laying next to Bella, and the female was resting her eyes. She felt a soft pressure on the bed, and looked up, smiling gently. 

“Hey there.” She said, reaching her hand out for his cheek. She cupped it gently, and she smiled softly. “I am sorry about the things I said earlier.”

“Bella, Milady. There is no need to apologize. Your fears are valid and yet true. There may come a day that I do not return home.” He said, laying next to her, wrapping his arm around her. “But I promise you, and to our children-”

“Children?”

“The ones we have after this one.” He said, putting his hand on her belly. “That I will return home safely.” He said, kissing her forehead as if to seal the promise. “And Bella-”

“Yeah?”

“Did you really want to go back to the castle today?” Bella’s face drained of its color as he said those words.

“How did-”

“A ninja never reveals his secret.” He said, shushing her with one of his fingers. The conversation ended as Shingen dressed in his nightwear. He crawled into the futon besides her, though he knew Bella would already be asleep, he wrapped his arms around her gently and the two of them drifted off into a deep and pleasant slumber.

\------------------

Once Shingen closes the sliding door behind him, Daitaro looks over at her husband and takes his hand. She smiles at him and tells him that she is going back to the room. He looks back at her, squeezes her hand, and nods. 

“I’ll go with you.” Saizo tells her before they both say their good nights to Yukimura and Sasuke. As they walk hand in hand, Daitaro notices that they are not going towards their room but actually going to the stable. She looks over at Saizo as he leads her through the doors.

“Saizo, why are we at the stables?” 

“I thought we could go for a short trip along the waterline and talk with each other.” Saizo pulls out his black as night stallion who goes by the name of Shinobu. He had found him in the forest one night on the way back from a mission in a faraway town. Saizo almost had not seen him because his hair was so dark that he was easily hidden in the shadows. The only part of him that stood out was bright silver color of his eyes. They connect almost immediately and so Shinobu has been with us and been a valued part of the castle family ever since. 

While Saizo got his stallion ready, Daitaro pulled out Inazuma, who was more than happy to come out. They both silently tacked their horses and mounted before walking out the stable doors. They walk directly next to each other in a comfortable silence.

Saizo is the first person to break the silence and says, “I knew you were physically strong but you proved to me today that you are emotionally strong as well. I never knew how much you suffered while I was away on missions or out on the battlefield.”

“How did you find out about that?” Daitaro asks him slightly confused and taken aback because he was not supposed to know about her suffering. He could only know if either Bella told him or he was listening to their conversation earlier today. 

“Maybe some day you will be able to come on more missions with me so I can keep my eye on you and so you won’t be as lonely.” Saizo completely ignores her question and rambles on about future missions.

Daitaro perks up at his words and does not know what to say because it is so unlike him to actually agree to her coming with him on missions. He has always been so protective of her. 

“Saizo.”

“Yes little lady?” That is what he liked to call her and she took a liking to it ever since the first time he said it to her face. When he looks over at her, he notices her dismounting Inazuma, so he does the same with Shinobu. They stand there looking at each other, Saizo waiting for her to speak. Instead of her speaking she walks up to him and wraps her arms around his waist. She puts her head in the crook of his neck and says, “Saizo, we both know that if you took me with you I would just slow you down. We both know it would be better for me to stay at the stables even if that means I have to be away from you.”

“I don’t think that is true. You are learning quickly and putting good use to your new skills. You didn’t hesitate to step in earlier when Shingen and I were fighting. You even got within an inch of hitting him which is impressive within itself. I didn’t get you that sword because I thought it would look pretty hanging from your hip. I got it because I knew you were ready to use a real sword and not a wooden one. I trust in your skills. You won’t let me down.”

With that it brings tears to Dai’s eyes and she rushes to hide her face from him knowing he is not a fan of seeing her cry. However, he lifts her chin with his hand and then wipes her tears away with his thumb. He looks down at her and smiles before pressing his lips against hers. They stand there bodies pressed against each other with their lips moving in sync against the other’s. 

After what feels like forever, they part from each other breathless. They stand looking into each other’s eyes with their foreheads touching. They stand there for a few minutes before deciding that they should get the horses back to the stables before it becomes too late. They mount back onto their stallions and jog along the sealine next to one another until they reach the stable doors. They dismount and lead the horses in and silently untack and put them in their respective stalls. 

They make their way back to the inn and find their room. They both change into their night clothes and slide into their bed together with Saizo’s arms snaking their way around Dai’s waist and pulling her right up against him. She rests her hands on his arms before they both drift into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you liked this chapter! Let us know what you guys think in the comments!
> 
> Love,   
> Bella and Dai


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter we have added a new character by the name of Chiho and she is based off of one of our friends. Said friend is our recent addition to co-authors, Dandelion657, and is now helping us write the story! I hope you like this new chapter!

CHAPTER 3

By the time early morning came around, Bella and Shingen had already left. Bella was quite tired from yesterday’s excursion with Dai, however, Shingen wanted to bring her to the port before the crowd rushed in. Bella, atop of Yuu, was rocking back and forth as if she was in a small slumber, Shingen was leading the gelding quietly. “Shingen, why are we going to the port?”

“In the early morning, the captains of large cargo ships bring in fresh food. I was thinking of surprising our company with fresh fruits and vegetables for dinner tonight. Along with buying some for the ride back tomorrow.” He said quietly as she nodded her head.

The ride to the port was quiet, and the scenery was beautiful. Once there, Shingen helped Bella off of Yuu and tied him to the post. He firmly held onto her hand, ensuring that he would not lose her in the crowd. Bella stayed quiet as they wandered around the stands, only picking up the things she knew their company would like. She had picked numerous fruits, delicacies and other various items. When she looked up, she could not find Shingen- of course. Only she would get too carried away in such a dangerous place and to be alone! She did not panic though, as she looked up. He would find her eventually as there were not many people around this morning. She kept to herself until she heard Shingen’s laughter above the small chaos and she looked in the direction. She could see him, talking with an elderly gentlemen and another older lady. With a soft sigh, Bella made her way over to him.

“Oh! Takashi! This is my lovely wife that I told you about.” Bella raised her eyebrow, looking at her husband suspiciously as he placed his arm around her waist. Bella bowed politely at him and wore a kind smile on her face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Takashi. I am Takeda Bella of the Takeda Clan.” The man bowed before her as well.

“The pleasure is all mine-” He was interrupted by a girl’s voice. She was around Bella’s height, but closer to Yukimura’s age. She had short, light brown hair that fell in a mix of natural waves and curls and hazel eyes that seemed to gaze off distractedly.

“Father! Do you need any help unloading?” She asked, the girl looked beautiful in Bella’s eyes. Her slim figure, the color of her hair and the look in her eyes.

“Chiho, now is not the time. I am talking to Lord Takeda about a very important trade-”

“A trade?” Chiho’s hazel eyes widened and glanced over at Bella. The female bowed, and then looked back at the two. “My apologies, my Lord.”

“Chiho- that is your name. Correct?” Bella asked in a second. Chiho looked at Bella slightly confused, but she nodded her head in agreement.

“Yes it is- are you Lady Takeda?”

“Of course.” Bella said with a small smile. “Would you like to accompany me while my husband tends to business matters?” She asked, Chiho looked back at her parents and they agreed.

“I would love to.”

Since Bella had already paid for the fruit that was in her basket, she left it in the care of Shingen. The two of them decided that it would be best to eat something, as the two of them had not eaten breakfast. They found a nice little cafe down the street and decided to give it a try. Sitting down in front of Chiho, Bella looked at the menu and she saw one of her favorite breakfast meals. Bella ordered that contently along with tea with a bit of peppermint in it.

“Milady may I ask you a question?” Chiho asked, after she had ordered her own meal. Bella placed the menu down and looked up at her.

“Of course.”

“Well I couldn’t help but notice what you ordered. It is something bland and something to help with nausea.”

“Mhm?” Bella said, raising an eyebrow as she watched her.

“Well you see, when my Mother was expecting my brother that is what she would order.” Chiho’s voice dimmed down, as she seemed a bit nervous. “Are you expecting?” Bella seemed oddly surprised at Chiho’s observation and she nodded her head.

“Yes. I am.” Bella said quietly, she did not want a lot of people to know about it as she was not far along. “You have a little brother?”

“I did, yes. But he passed away when he was only two.” Chiho said, Bella tilted her head and smiled slightly at the girl.

“It’s alright, Chiho. I am sure you were a great sister.” Bella smiled as she looked at her.

“My Mother and Father are encouraging me to find a husband. But I am the only one left who would be able to run my father’s business.”

“I understand that feeling - my mother was finding me suitable men who entered our small restaurant.” Bella said, but she suddenly sparked an idea. “Would you be interested in meeting one of Lord Takeda’s generals? He is really kind and sweet.”

“Possibly, when?”

“Well you see, we are leaving tomorrow so it would probably be tonight.”

“I’ll have to check with my parents first.”

“Of course, that is only what’s right.” Bella said, the two of them chit chatted about random things. Bella noted that Chiho would be the perfect fit for Yukimura. After breakfast had been served, Bella politely paid for it. Shingen arrived in the small cafe to find his wife and to bring her back to the inn. “Milord-” Bella said as she stood a bit too quickly, the blood rushed to her head as she nearly fell, but Shingen, who was quick on his feet, grabbed her by the waist, and made sure she was settled on her own feet before he placed her down.

“I have gotten permission for Chiho to come with us back to the inn.”

“How did you-”

“Don’t worry Bella. I have a small plan.” He said, as he took his wife’s hand as they walked back to Takashi. The two of them wandered around the port as Chiho went to get ready. Once done, Chiho followed the couple to Yuu and Shingen helped Bella up onto the horse. His saddle bags were packed with the delicacies that they had purchased and they started the trip back to the inn.

 

\------------------

The same day, Daitaro woke up in the warm embrace of her husband. Her eyes slowly drifting open only to be staring right into his bright red eyes. She gave him a sleepy smile and said, “Good morning. How long have you been watching me?”

“Good morning and only about an hour.”

“An hour?! Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You looked so peaceful so I didn’t want to disturb you if I didn’t have to.” He said before kissing her lips. “However, now that you are awake, we should probably get up.”

They both slowly got out from under the blankets remembering that they have the day to do whatever they want before they have to pack everything back up and head back to the castle. They leisurely made their way to grab breakfast and find everyone but Yukimura.

“Where is the virgin?” Saizo questions.

“Did he get laid last night and doesn’t know how to tell us?” As Daitaro says this, the teal-eyed man blushed as he had heard what she had said.

“I-I’ll have you know that I was just taking my time this morning n-not because o-o-o-” Yukimura tries to get his response out while his blush just becomes deeper and deeper shades of red.

“Getting laid.” Saizo pauses. “You really are too innocent for your own good, dear.”:

“I don’t need you picking on me, too, Saizo! For everyone’s information, I was getting myself ready to spend the day on the beach since these trips don’t happen often.”

Everyone laughs at his innocence and continues to eat their breakfast chatting amongst themselves.

Once Saizo and Dai had finished eating breakfast, they excused themselves from the table and left the hall through the sliding doors. They walked down the hall toward their room.

“What would you like to do today, little lady?” Saizo asks her once they get to their room to change into their clothes for the day.

“Want to spar on the beach? I want to test my new sword.” He nods his head as an answer. He goes to grab the wooden sword that he brought along with him just in case he found that she wanted to spar. “No.”

“What’s wrong, Dai?” He asks after a minute of waiting for an answer.

“I don’t want you to use the wooden sword today.”

“Okay, I won’t use anything then.”

“No, I want you to use your own sword. I want us to train as equals today. Don’t treat me as like a fragile lady that I am not. Treat me as one of the men.”

“You know I refuse to hurt you. Knowing that, you are aware that I cannot allow myself to treat you as anything but my little lady.”

“You will treat me as an equal sparring partner, at least for our training.” Daitaro says this with a look in her hazel eyes that tells Saizo he will not win this discussion. He sighs and reluctantly agrees to her wishes.

They make their way out to the beach and find a spot uninhabited by other people and pull out their swords. Since Saizo agreed to her wishes, he accepts that he will not go easy on her. He readies his sword out in front of him and looks at her. She looks back before disappearing in front of his eyes.

He stands there in shock as to the fact that there are not many people in this town or even in the world that have been able to disappear from right in front of him. He does not notice until the last second that she had gotten behind him and was about to hit right behind his knee to knock him off balance. Fortunately for him, he has much more training and was able to turn on his heels and parry the blow with his own sword causing a clashing sound to ring out around them.

“You surprised me there for a second. However, you left your arm out to the side just a little too much letting me notice your sword glinting in the sun from behind me.”

Saizo swings his sword upwards bringing her sword with it. Dai managed to keep her grip on the hilt but just barely. Saizo does a little spin and disappears. She used the hearing that she acquired from being around the horses and also from the training she was receiving from her favorite ninja. She heard his steps coming from her right and immediately turned to face that direction but did not see anyone. Just a little too late did she notice the sound of steps coming from behind her. Before she knew it Saizo was pressed right against her back with his sword to her neck.

“What are you going to do now little lady?” He asked with a smirk on his face thinking that he won their battle.

She gave him a devilish grin and leaned forward slightly causing a thin line of blood to escape her throat where his sword cut into her skin. Saizo stood there wide eyed in shock, not knowing what to do. Daitaro took this moment to slip out of his grasp and swing her sword around and put the hilt of it right into his stomach. Saizo dropped his sword and collapsed onto his knees not because of the pain but more because he was still in shock. He looked up at her and saw a beautiful smile shining down at him because for the first time she actually was able to best him in training.

Saizo could not get past the fact that his very own sword had caused her to bleed.

“I’m so sorry.” He said as he got to his feet and took her in his arms. She stood there feeling confused as to why he would be sorry.

“Saizo, why are you apologizing?”

“My sword, it caused your neck to start bleeding. I’m so sorry.” Daitaro started laughing and flicked his forehead.

“There is no reason for you to be sorry, Saizo. I decided to do it because I knew it would catch you off guard. I knew it would cause you to freeze. You taught me well. You told me that everything is permitted in battle when it comes to saving your own life.” She took a step back and gently placed her hand on his cheek. She pressed her forehead against his and looked into his eyes.

“Saizo, do not apologize for what just happened. I am fine. My neck is fine. It was a training exercise. Worse things than this have happened to you in war. You know that the small scrape on my neck is nothing. I do not even feel it. Let’s go inside and get ready to spend some relaxing time on the beach with the others.” She leans in and quickly plants a gentle kiss upon his lips and then starts walking ahead of him toward the inn.

Saizo looks ahead of him, watching his wife walk back to the inn. He admires her strength and the confidence in her step as she walks ahead before he rushes to catch up. They quickly wash their hands and he gently wipes the now dried blood off her neck. Once changed, they head back out to the ocean where the other five have already gathered.

Daitaro could only recognize four out of the five silhouettes. Shingen and Sasuke were in the water, Bella was sitting on the beach, and Yukimura was off with a different figure, someone that they had not met before. Bella turned her head and saw Daitaro and Saizo heading towards them, she quickly stood and made her way towards the couple, dragging them away from Yuki.

“Bella who is that-” Daitaro asked, as she looked back at the two walking along the beach.

“That is Chiho. I met her while at the port this morning. She is such a sweet girl and both Shingen and I agree that she would be lovely with Yukimura.” Bella said, still dragging the couple away. “Shingen is keeping an eye on them while he plays with Sasuke-”

“Did you mean train?” Saizo asked.

“Maybe, actually, that’s more than likely. He did say that water can be a good place to train-” Bella said but she shook her head. “That is not the point. The point is that we found someone for Yukimura!”

“So the Most Desirable Virgin can finally get laid?” Daitaro says with a devilish grin on her face. Saizo chuckles at his wife’s comment and gives her a high five. Bella stands there trying to glare at them but has a hard time doing so since she herself is laughing on the inside.

“That is not the point. Chiho is a great girl and I think they’d hit it off-” Bella said, nearly tripping over a rock that she swears wasn’t there ten seconds ago. Saizo is quick on his feet and grabs her arm before she falls and pulls her up. “Thank you, Saizo.” She said, putting her brown hair back behind her ear. “I also forgot! We brought back some fresh fruit and vegetables from the port today. They are for everyone here.”

“Thanks Bella! I’ll help prepare them tonight with you. I can’t let you do all that on your own.” Daitaro excitedly responds. Bella seems to slowly put two and two together and figures out that her friend is trying to tell her she needs to talk to her in private.

“Alright, well, why don’t we head in now and start them? There is quite a lot that needs to be prepared.” Bella said, her hand placed gently on her back once again.

“Would you ladies like some help?” Saizo asks both of them.

“No-” they both say together. Bella looked up at Daitaro and giggles a little bit.

“Well, okay then. You two ladies have fun. I will be over here reading my book and watching over our favorite virgin. Call for me if you need me.”

As Saizo walks away, Bella and Dai sigh and begin to walk back toward the inn to prepare dinner for everyone.

On the way back to the inn, the two ladies stop at the stables to check in on their horses. Daitaro went into Inazuma’s stall and gave him a hug around his neck. He stood there and wrapped his head behind her as if he was hugging her back. She knew he could tell that she was nervous about something so he did what he could to calm her down. They sat there like that, comfortable for a few minutes before she released his neck letting him get back to his hay. She went to walk out of his stall but Bella was standing in the doorway. She would not let her leave his stall. Dai looks at her friend questioningly, waiting for her to say something.

“Spill. What’s wrong Dai?” Bella asked, standing in front of the stall door. She had one hand placed on the wall and the other on her hip.

“Well…” Daitaro started to respond without looking at her friend. “I’m really nervous..” Daitaro trails off, looking at the floor.

“Are you pregnant? Did he hurt you? Don’t think I haven’t noticed the scratch on your neck. Do I need to kick Saizo’s butt?”

“No, no, nothing like that. Maybe in the future but not right now. For now I have to think about what he told me the other night.” Daitaro looks up at her friend. “He told me he wanted to actually take me on a mission with him, as an equal. I don’t know what to do. I feel conflicted.”

“You have to look at it from a few perspectives.” Bella started, taking her hand off of the stall wall. “First, you do complain that he does not treat you like an equal sometimes. Your skills are definitely stronger and you are capable of keeping up with him.” She said, trying to think of how to put it. “It might be best - you already have gone off on missions together, undercover.” Bella scratched her head, looking at her.

“Yeah I have gone with him but that doesn’t mean he let me help. He brought me with him because he wanted to keep an eye on me. While he was out completing the mission, I was sitting, waiting for him to come back to me. Don’t get me wrong, I do feel honored that he would want me to come with him, but I feel like I would put him in more danger.” Daitaro responds to her friend and feels the soft nose of Inazuma resting against her back trying to soothe her.

“I understand. I do not think you would hold him back at all, Dai. You keep up with him well in any type of situation. Plus, he gave you that sword of yours. For what purpose? Cutting melons?” Bella said, with a soft smile. “Dai, you are one of the best warriors out there, and you’re better than some of the male soldiers in the clan” Bella said, placing a soothing hand on her friend’s back.

Daitaro laughs at her friend’s words. “Thanks Bella. I just love him too much to watch him get hurt because I made a mistake. I do appreciate what you are saying though. It is definitely helping me calm down and think rationally about it.”

“Like you said last night, you need to support him. I do not think you would make a mistake. I do believe Saizo made mistakes when he was first starting out and Shingen did as well. It happens, but you learn from them.” Bella said, recalling a time she made a mistake. “Remember the time I tried to jump with Yuu over a log and he tossed me? But I did it again and we got it correct? You learn from your mistakes, but I don’t think you would make any.” Bella said with a soft smile.

“Thanks Bella. I appreciate it. I think I’m going to take him up on the offer and see how it goes. If all is well, then maybe we will go on many more. If something happens then we will deal with it and make a decision about what would be best for us and the clan at that time.” Daitaro turns around and pets Inazuma face and kisses his soft muzzle before thanking him for comforting her. Daitaro turns back around and looks at her friend. “Maybe in the near future, you know after the missions, Saizo and I will possibly talk about kids but right now I don’t think either of us are ready for that. Maybe we will start with a dog.”

“Dai, this one was a surprise. Shingen nor I had even talked about kids. Well we did, but not now. It kind of happened-” Bella said, talking softly as nobody truly knew and obviously word travels fast around the clan. She stepped back from the stall to allow her friend to leave. She walked to Yuu and poked his nose gently with a small smile on her face.

Daitaro walks out of the stall and up to her friend. “Saizo and I really haven’t talked much about kids. We are both too busy, him with his missions and me caring for the horses. Oh, and giving you lessons, of course. Can’t forget that.”

“Well, those will be on hold for a while.” Bella said, though she didn’t want them to be. “Though I could ride for a bit longer...” They said as they headed out of the barn and back into the inn. They found the kitchen quiet, as Bella and Shingen had already told the chefs that they would be cooking for a meal tonight.

“I’ll makes sure we fit in as many lessons as you feel comfortable doing while you are still able. However, if I do get called on a mission with Saizo, then I’ll have to put them on hold until I get back.”

“I am okay with that.” Bella said, following Dai back to the inn.

“Time to start cutting the fruits and vegetables or we will have hungry men on our tails wondering what is taking so long.”

“Hungry men are worse than hungry women.” Bella said as she stepped into the inn’s kitchen. She let her lightweight kimono fall off her shoulders and rolled up her sleeves. The small baby bump was noticeable without the coverage of the peach colored outfit.

“I would have to agree with that statement.” Both women turn around and see Saizo standing in the doorway. Neither of them had heard the door open or him come into the kitchen.

“Saizo, when did you get here?” Dai asks him before turning back to the unprepared food knowing that she isn’t going to get an answer. She takes her arms out of the sleeves of her kimono and lets it fall around her waist as she picks up a knife.

“You should be used to me randomly appearing out of nowhere, especially since you can do it too.” He says as he walks up to the counter and picks up a knife and starts chopping away.

Bella had placed a strawberry in her mouth since she enjoys them. She then picked up a smaller knife and began to peel some of the vegetables. “Saizo, have you seen my husband?” She asked, looking out the window and not seeing him out there.

“Last I heard, he was going to your room to get cleaned up before dinner tonight. I thought I would come lend you ladies a hand since when I stopped in earlier, neither of you were to be found. So, I figured that you would have a lot of work on your hands having to prepare for all of us.”

“Thank you for stopping by.” Bella said as she continued to peel. “Is Sasuke with him?”

“Oh, yeah, and how are Yukimura and that new girl, Chiho?” Daitaro adds before Saizo can answer Bella’s question.

“Sasuke went off to his room and the virgin went to clean up with the girl.” Saizo smirks at the two of them as he says the last part.

“I hope you didn’t pressure him, Saizo.” Bella said, pointing the knife towards him trying to look scary.

“I would do no such thing.” Saizo says with a chuckle. “Just kidding. We all know I would, but still, I didn’t pressure him to do anything. By the time I looked up from my book, Yukimura was walking up to me and telling me that he and Chiho were going to get washed up in his room. Before he gave me a chance to respond he had already turned away and started walking back to where she stood waiting.” Saizo answers honestly.

“Alright. I believe you.” Bella said, closing her eyes for a moment. Then she continued on with peeling. They continued to stand there in silence cutting and peeling the food. Before they knew, it was time to bring everything to the banquet hall for their dinner.

Bella was carrying the main meal, which was a pot full of fresh vegetable soup. Even though Saizo tried to take it, Bella simply shook her head as she still wanted to manage on her own until she couldn’t anymore. Though she was a stubborn one, she liked having things done her way. Bella left both Dai and Saizo alone in the kitchen as she brought the main course into the dining room.

“Well, I guess we should follow the stubborn one.” Saizo says with a chuckle. Dai nods in response and they follow in her footsteps.

 

\------------------

Dinner went by without a problem; the two wives made a delicious meal. The meal was filled with laughter, storytelling and only a little bit of drinking. “Does anyone want to go for a stroll in town?” Shingen asked, as he stood up, Bella watched him as she sipped some water.

“Sure! I’m in.” Daitaro says while setting her water glass down. Saizo stays silent while also placing his water down and standing with her.

“Of course.” Bella said as she placed the glass down and stood up beside Shingen. He gently took her hand as he guided the group towards the town. The four of them unknowingly made their way to the area where Yukimaru and Chiho had their date night. Bella was the first to notice it, Shingen had covered her mouth to shush her.

“Bella- shh.” He said as Bella seemed confused. “Stay quiet-”

“Are you thinking what I am thinking?” Saizo asked with a grin, Daitaro had a devilish smirk on her face as well.

“Time to practice your skills.” Shingen said to Dai.

“Oh, of course! I’m always up for some practice.” Dai said and looked at Saizo, who nodded back at both of them. Bella was the only one who did not have these skills so she, of course, would be left behind. Saizo and Daitaro disappear from her vision leaving her even more confused.

“What are you guys doing?” She asked, as Shingen pulled her hand and walked away from the cafe. “Shingen, please tell me what is going on.” Her voice became a bit more demanding.

“My Lady. Why don’t we go shopping for a bit-” He said in an attempt to distract her from what was going on.

“You know I don’t like to shop-”

“Then just take my hand and walk with me around the port.” He said, holding his hand out. Bella grasped his hand as they walked along the streets. She fidgeted with his fingers before looking at a homeless mother who was asking for money to clothe her daughter. The two of them seemed to be cold in the night. Before getting any second thoughts, Bella let go of Shingen’s hand, reached into her small satchel, and grabbed roughly 600 yen and made her way to the homeless woman; she took off her lightweight shawl to give to the woman as well. Shingen turned as he watched his wife walk over to the woman.

“Here you go. Please, take good care of your daughter.” Bella said as she placed the money in the woman’s hand along with her light green shawl. The woman stared at her in utter disbelief. The woman had a tear in her eye as she bowed in front of Bella.

“Thank you, miss. My daughter will be overjoyed. Please, before you leave, what is your name?” Bella smiled as Shingen placed his shawl over Bella’s shoulder along with his hand.

“Bella. Takeda Bella.” Bella waved to the woman as she turned and walked back with Shingen towards the lighted street. Shingen had the biggest grin on his face as Bella looked up at him. “Shingen, what are you grinning at?” She asked, looking up at him.

“You being so kind and courteous.”

“Well, if I was ever in that situation, I would want somebody to help me out.” She said, shrugging her shoulders. “Kids grow quickly and they wear hand-me-down clothes more than they should. Plus, it will be getting cold and they need warmth just as much as you and I do.” She took his hand and he raised it up and kissed it gently.

“Did you wear hand-me-down clothes?” Shingen asked, as they walked onto a pier. Bella’s cheeks turned pink as she looked down at the ground.

“Of course. My cousin that lived in the capital would hand down her clothes to me.”

“Your brother?”

“My cousin also had a little brother, whose clothes went to him.” Bella chuckled as they walked towards the end of the pier. The moon was just starting to rise and the sun was setting. They stood at the end of the pier and Shingen stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and his hands on her abdomen. The two stood there quiet for a while as they didn’t have much alone time due to a lot of factors. They enjoyed the quietness and watching the sunset. “Shingen? Can I ask you a favor?” She asked, turning her head and looking at him.

“What is it, my lady?” He asked, his head slightly cocked to the side.

“Can we stop by a cafe and get some mochi?” She asked with a very pleading smile. She knew mochi was his favorite delicacy as well.

“Why now?” He asked, with a soft chuckle.

“I’m kind of craving some-” Bella said, looking down at her feet. “It’s for the baby and this horrid heat.”

“Alright. If it’s for the baby, then we shall go and enjoy some delicacies.” Shingen said, as he bent down to kiss her cheek. He took her hand, and walked back towards the lit streets. They found a small bake shop and went inside. After ordering some mochi, the two sat down and giggled as they ate the desserts.

“Thank you for doing this, Shingen.” She said, munching on the mochi. The flour ice cream was really hitting the spot on the hot evening.

“I wanted to bring you to one anyway. As you deserve to be treated well.” He said, keeping his legs crossed as he sipped the tea that was in front of him. Bella looked down as she picked up her tea cup and lifted it to her lips. She enjoyed the chocolate mochi that was in front of her. Shingen watched her with careful eyes, he kept scanning the surrounding area as if someone was to jump out at any moment to attack the woman he loved the most.

 

\------------------

Yukimura watched the girl beside him closely. She was new and they knew little to nothing about her, but Bella had a talent for figuring out who could be trusted and who couldn’t. He wasn’t about to question her judgment as she had not led them wrong before. Still, he had to wonder why this girl didn’t seem to mind the silence that fell between them. They had been talking quite a bit earlier when they agreed to walk around town, but now they were quiet.

He wondered if she was one of those people who put on an act in front of others to seem like a social butterfly.

One look at her eyes told him that it didn’t seem to be the case. Her eyes seemed to say she was getting lost in her thoughts. He wondered what she was thinking about.

“Lady Takeda had given you the address to the cafe, right?” Yuki asked as he looked over at the girl, hoping to get her attention.

“Yes, she made sure I knew where to go,” Chiho replied before becoming lost in her thoughts again.

Yuki frowned. He was hoping for a bit more of a reaction. “So...what are you thinking about?”

“Huh?” she blinked, looking at him slightly confused.

“You looked like you were thinking about something,” Yuki stated. “What was it?”

Chiho was confused for another moment before she realized what he was getting at. “Oh, sorry. I tend to get lost in my thoughts quite a bit.”

“So, what were you thinking about just now?” Yuki wondered.

“Well,” Chiho bit her lip, “I was thinking about something that Lady Takeda told me when we were having breakfast earlier.”

“And what would that be?” Yuki asked. “I’m sure you discussed quite a bit.”

“She told me of how when you first met her, you thought she was a man,” Chiho replied, a small smirk on her lips as she watched his reaction. “I was just wondering if you knew how to spot the differences now.”

She watched as Yuki’s face turned red. A laugh escaped her lips as he tried to stutter a response. It took a couple minutes, but Yuki’s face returned to its normal color and Chiho smiled at him.

“That was an embarrassing moment,” Yuki muttered.

“I can imagine it was,” Chiho chuckled. “But I like to think that those moments help build character. I mean, everyone has something that embarasses them, and it’s only a fleeting feeling. It never lasts too long at any given time.”

Yuki wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but she didn’t seem to mind. They continued their walk in silence until they reached the cafe, where they quickly placed their orders and found somewhere to sit.

“So,” Chiho began, looking at him directly in the eyes. “Are there any other interesting stories you would be willing to share about life at the castle?”

Yuki blinked, a bit startled.

Before he knew it, the two were swapping stories about their different upbringings.

 

\------------------

Daitaro and Saizo did what ninjas do best and disappeared into the shadows. They stayed quiet and only spoke using their eyes. They became so attuned with each other during Dai’s training that they only needed to share a glance to be able to know what the other person was thinking.

They crept along the side of the cafe with Saizo in front. They had decided that it would be best to be on the opposite side of the building from where Yukimura and Chiho were sitting. Probably because they knew that if they were right next to them, Yuki would have been able to pick up on it. With Saizo knowing him best, he knew that if they were further away, Yuki would be oblivious, especially with this new situation he was in.

They made their way along the back side until they stopped to listen. Standing close in the shadows, they listened intently trying to get a feel for what Chiho and Yukimura were talking about over their food.

Yukimura was telling a story about the one time when they were celebrating Shingen’s birthday and all of his retainers and clan members were trying to beat him in a duel. They spent the entire day trying and not one of them could best him. However, when Bella and Daitaro came in with wooden swords looking really confused but determined, Shingen nearly fell over just by their sheer presence in front of him. Bella had little to no training in the arts of fighting with or without a sword and Dai had been training with Saizo for only a short time. He continued telling the story of how Bella distracted him and let Daitaro jump onto his back and whack the wooden sword over his head.

Throughout the entire story, Chiho was intently listening to him and by the end she was laughing at how such a fierce man had been taken down by two, more than not, untrained women.

“Please, tell me about something that you are very fond of when it comes to you and your family and friends.” At this point, Saizo and Daitaro have stopped listening because to them this is rather boring. However, they are happy to find that Yuki and Chiho are having fun and enjoying each others company. After what feels like 30 minutes of standing in the shadows they hear the two lovebirds stand up and leave the cafe. Saizo and Dai leave the shadows and walk around the building and up to them.

“Hey! I don’t believe we met but I am Daitaro and this here is my husband Saizo. We all reside at the Takeda castle. We happened to be wandering around the town and saw Yuki and decided to come say hello.” Saizo nodded after her as his silent hello.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Chiho stated, smiling a bit. Yukimura looked slightly embarrassed, catching on to the fact that the two were more than likely spying on them. “I am Chiho. Lady Takeda has mentioned you two during our earlier conversation.”

“Saizo and I noticed Bella and Shingen walk into a nearby bakery if you would like to accompany us. We were about to head over there.” Daitaro says as she takes Chiho’s arm, not accepting no for an answer. The four of them chat while they walk to and into the bakery.

They found Bella and Shingen sitting a round table and made their way over to them. They all sat down and were chatting amongst themselves eating desserts.

 

\------------------

“Excuse me, sir.” The bakery owner said as he walked up to their table. “Are you the leader of the Takeda Clan?” Shingen turned his head and nodded.

“Yes I am.” He replied. “Why do you ask?” The baker seemed a bit nervous so Bella put a small smile on her face and looked at him.

“Well you see.” He started. “The local authority have stopped by. Claiming that they have some of your soldiers in their holdings.” He seemed very nervous, but Shingen and Saizo exchanged what seemed like barely a glance at each other and knew what they had to do.

“Yuki, can you please escort the women back to the inn and to Chiho’s house?” Shingen asked, Bella got up and seemed displeased with the statement, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

“I’ll see you back at the room?”

“Yes, but later though. Saizo and I have business to attend to.” Shingen said to his wife. Dai tugged on Bella’s sleeve as the three of them were waiting to leave.

“Come on Bells.” Dai said, Bella nodded her head as she quietly kept to herself as they walked to Chiho’s home. Yukimura seemed very smitten with Chiho and it was the same with the girl. Bella had a smile on her face as the two giggled about childhood stories. She stayed close to Daitaro because, of course, she was already tired. Dai could tell as Bella was yawning every so often. “We’ll be back in no time.” Dai said encouraging, but Bella was only wondering what Shingen and Saizo were doing to the soldiers that were in the port’s holding.

“I know you are wondering what is going to happen to the soldiers but I know that the two of them will do what is right. They always do. Do you need me to carry you?” Daitaro raises a brow and looks at her friend.

“No. It isn’t too far of a walk to get back to the inn.” Bella said with a smile. She knew the men would do the correct thing. Bella crossed her arms and stayed back when Yuki was saying goodbye to Chiho. She turned her head towards Dai and saw the same smirk that Bella knew was on her own face. When the door was closed and the front light was off, Yuki walked back over to the two women. “You like her.” They both said in unison.

“Be quiet you two.” Bella grinned from ear to ear as Yuki started to blush. “S-she’s pretty nice.”

“Oh Yuki. You are too sweet.” Bella grinned as she went to pinch one of his cheeks like he was a child. Dai walked behind Bella and Yuki was in the front.

“Are you thinking of seeing her again?” Dai asked and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

“P-possibly.” He stuttered, the poor boy was embarrassed. A giggle escaped Bella as she watched him shrink into the mentality of a small child.

“Yuki, you do not have to be pressured into anything you do not want to do.” Bella said, as they walked through the trail that headed towards the inn. Bella let out another yawn as she walked.

“I-I know, I was v-very happy that I-I went out tonight.” Yukimura says sheepishly. Bella and Dai both smiled as they finally arrived at the inn. Yukimura escorted the ladies to their room, but Bella decided to stay with Dai. Bella changed into her nightgown, then paced nervously across the room. Dai was settled on top of the futon in her own pajamas. Having a habit of biting her nails, Bella’s were completely worn off. She kept looking at the slider door, waiting for either of the men to walk through it. Akira barked, as she came into the room, wanting to distract her owner.

“Bella. You need to relax. Stressing out and pacing isn’t helping you or the baby. Please just sit down.” Dai said to her friend, her voice laced with concern.

“I apologize. I am just nervous-” She said, as she walked to the door one more time. Akira got underneath her feet, as if to herd her to the nearby chair. Once sitting, the dog jumped on Bella’s lap to keep her down.

“Good girl. Always there to help her out.” Dai said while petting behind Akira’s ear and smiling down at her. Bella bit the inside of her cheek as she rubbed Akira’s back.

“Why am I so nervous?” Bella asked, patting Akira’s head.

“I don’t know because this isn’t really something to worry about. The soldiers should be fine and I don’t think you should really be worrying about the two men. They are together so nothing bad should happen. They are a force to be reckoned with separately.”

“That is true. But together they are something even greater.” Bella said, the dog let out a huff on her lap as she moved her curly tail a little bit. Smiling down at her dog, she looked back up. “You would think the two of them have been friends since they were little.”

“And if you add Yuki to that mix, I wouldn’t want to be on their bad side.”

“I never want to be on the men’s bad sides- they scare me too much already.” Bella said with a smile on her face and a chuckle.

Dai smiles and laughed with her as she heard noise in the hallway. She instantly sat up and regarded the sliding doors carefully. Just as she was about to get up the door slid open and there was Saizo expressionless as usual. Dai stood up, as did Bella, and walked over to him. The moment he saw Bella standing there, his eyes shot open wide but only for a split-second. He stepped out of the room and called down the hallway.

“Shingen, she’s here.” Bella was holding onto the small dog in her arms. Akira moved like a screaming child as she wanted to be placed down. Which is what Bella quickly did as Shingen came running into the room looking distressed.

“Shingen? What’s wrong?” She asked, beginning to get nervous once again. He came over to her, wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed the top of her head before resting his chin on it.

“I was so worried when I didn’t find you in our room. I thought something happened to you and to our child.”

“Shingen-” She said, looking at him. “Let’s go back to our room so we can relax and go to sleep. If we stay up all night we will all be tired when we have to get up early.” She said, as a smile came to her face because she knew he had worried about her too. “Thank you Dai-” She said as the two of them left and walked back to their room.

 

\------------------

Outside the door, Shingen picked up his wife bridal style. “Shingen? What are you doing?” She asked, as he carried her to the bedroom. He had no problem carrying her, as she was very lightweight. He opened the sliding door and he placed her down on the chair. She looked around the room, and it looked like a tornado hit it. “Shingen? What did you do to the room?”

“I was trying to find you-”

“So you turned the room upside down?” Bella asked, getting up to help him clean. Shingen shook his head before making her sit down again. “Shingen-”

“I made the mess so let me clean it.” He said, kissing her cheek gently. Akira yelped from underneath the chair as Bella shook her head in disappointment.

“You clearly were so worried-” Bella said as she picked up her shiba inu. Akira wagged her curly tail and panted happily. “That you turned the room upside down-”

“Don’t make fun of me.” Shingen replied, as he placed the futon right side up. He had already fixed the majority of the room, and Bella was folding the clothes that were around the chair.

“I was worried too, Shingen.” She said, placing the clothes on the ground. “I don’t know why, I just was.” She said, placing the dog on the ground before she stands up and walks over to her husband. Standing on her tiptoes, she reaches up to kiss his cheek but instead he turned around, cupping her cheek and kissed her on the lips. He smiled as he broke away from her, keeping their foreheads together. Their eyes closed as the two of them smiled gently.

“You have no need to worry, as the Tigress of Kai. You have all of the Clan watching over you. Ensuring your safety-”

“But you thought I was kidnapped earlier-” She said with a devilish smirk. Shingen’s cheeks turned pink as he was embarrassed. She poked his chest as he looked down.

“That is not the point.” He said, cupping her cheek gently. He bent down and kissed her once again, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as his went down to her waist. He picked her up as he went to turn the light off.

 

\------------------

Dai and Saizo watch the other two quietly leave the room. After they did, Daitaro walks up to Saizo and looks him over, checking to make sure there were no marks that signified any sort of fight transpired. After being satisfied with not finding anything, she looked up to see a pair of red eyes watching her.

“What? I wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt. Is that a problem?” Dai asked defensively before taking a deep breath. “Sorry. I was a little nervous about the fact that I didn’t know what was going on but I had to stay calm because we can’t let the pregnant lady get nervous. I know that if I show my nerves, it would only make her worse.” Daitaro sighs and then walks over to the window in their room and looks up at the moon. She stands there watching the moon as she feels two arms snake around her waist and pull her close.

“You are such a strong woman to be able to stay calm for the benefit of your friends. I’m sorry to have worried you but I promise you nothing bad happened while we were away.” Dai put her hands on his arms and let her head fall back and rest on his left shoulder and sighed.

“I know I shouldn’t have been worried because I know how strong both you and Shingen are and I knew you guys would only do what you thought was best for everyone but I couldn’t help it.” She lets herself relax in his arms, feeling completely safe with him there.

“It’s late, I know, but would you like to accompany me on a walk? We aren’t going to go far, but I don’t feel like I could fall asleep quite yet.” Saizo asks her as he plants a quick kiss on her cheek.

“Sure. I don’t think I’m ready to sleep yet, either.”

They walk out of their room together and walk outside. They walk into the stables since Saizo knew she felt calmer around the horses. They are sitting close together on the hay when they hear a small whimper coming from outside the barn door. They look at each other and rush over to see what caused the sound.

They look around the barn door to find a wounded dog. After noticing an arrow protruding out of his shoulder, they both shot up, readying themselves to find someone trying to come after them. They both saw a shadow moving a little ways off.

“You stay here and help the dog while I go and see who that shadow belongs to.” Saizo says and takes off after receiving a quick nod from Dai.

Dai knelt down on the ground and looked at the dog. He was of medium size in build and looked to be a pitbull. He was a blue-gray color with white wrapping around its nose and down under his chin, onto this chest. His breathing was ragged but Dai was going to make sure he survived. She tore off a piece of her sleeve that was of a decent size. She readied herself and then quickly pulled out the arrow. The dog whimpered from under her with his eyes tightly shut. She took the fabric that she had just ripped and wrapped it around his body and tied it tight.

She then looked at the arrow to check it for poison. After not finding any traces or remnants of lingering poison, she let out a long breath that she didn’t know she had been holding. She quickly ran into the stables and found a blanket that was in a storage bin and laid it on the ground. She folded it to make it more padded and then walked back outside to where the dog was still laying down. She carefully picked him up and slowly walked into the barn. She set him down on the blanket and after a few minutes of waiting by his side, Saizo walked back into the barn.

“What did you find?”

“Nothing too interesting. I found the shadow and he admitted to having shot the dog as he was running away. He said that he was sick and tired of him not listening so he was trying to kill him.” Saizo says without any hint of emotion behind the words.

Daitaro sucked in a breath and looked down at the dog. His breathing had calmed and was coming more evenly now. His face was still slightly scrunched up because of the pain but it had relaxed slightly. She looked up when she felt eyes watching her. She noticed all of the horses had their heads out and were watching them. She stood up and walked over to Inazuma. She kissed his nose and looked up into his eyes.

“What should we do?” She quietly asked him not knowing what she should do about the dog. She turned around and walked right into Saizo, who had gotten up while she was talking to her horse.

“Sorry!” She says to him and he snickers at her reaction. He looks down into her eyes trying to gauge the situation. He places his forehead against hers and says “we can keep him if you want to. Based off of what the guy was saying back there, he sounds like he would be a good dog to bring with us on missions. I think he would make a good addition to our small family.” Dai’s eyes widen with his words and before she knew it she had her arms around him and was kissing him. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to keep the dog until Saizo agreed to it. She got so excited that she couldn’t hold it back, which was the cause of the unexpected kiss. She pulled away from him and looked over at the resting dog.

“I want to call him Sanosuke. He’s a survivor and I think he should be named after that.” She says before looking back at Saizo.

“I agree. I think that name will fit him well. Let’s get him inside so he can be warm and comfortable. Also, we should be getting to bed since we have to be up early to travel back to the castle.” Saizo then turns and picks up Sanosuke and walks with Dai back to their room.

Back at the room, Saizo sets Sano down by their bed and closes the sliding door. Dai went and got some bandages and a basin of warm water. She took off her makeshift wrap and examined the wound.

“Doesn’t look like there is anything lodged in there and it looks clean. Let’s wash it out as a precaution and rewrap it.” Saizo holds him down just in case he jumps at them touching his wound. Sano stays still the entire time as they clean and rewrap him.

After wrapping Sano’s injury, Saizo gets another blanket and drapes it over him. While Saizo does this, Dai fetches a bowl and fills it with water and places it right next to his mouth.

After taking care of their new furry friend, the couple lays down with their arms and legs tangled together and they fall asleep listening to the calming breath of their new four-legged addition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was added a bit later but it's also a bit longer. We hope you liked it!! Leave comments and let us know what you think! See you next chapter
> 
> -Dai, Bella, and Chiho


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group decides to leave the beach and make their way back to the castle. However, the journey is not the easiest for them and things transpire along the path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very long chapter but we hope you like it. The chapters are going to be coming a little slower due to the fact that one of us is studying abroad and the other two of us are back at college. Don't worry, the story is still being written and edited.

CHAPTER 4

Shingen woke up with his wife in his arms, sleeping contently as her arm draped across his shoulder. His own hand traced the small bump that protruded from his wife’s abdomen. Bite marks and bruises were scattered across their skin as they indulged in a night of romance, teasing and pleasure. Shingen smiled as he kissed his wife’s forehead. She felt like she had a fever. They had stayed up late indulging in themselves but they needed to wake up early. “Bella, wake up.” He said, as he watched her chest rise and she moved. Her eyes glazed over as she looked around. She let out a soft groan as he kissed her gently. 

“Why so early?” She said, sitting up on the futon, the sheet covering her naked body. She knew if she spent any more time dwindling in bed, she would fall back asleep. 

“Well, if we want to make it back before sunset we must leave early,” Shingen said, as he watched Bella stand up and make her way to dress herself in comfortable clothing. She knew that Daitaro and Saizo were probably awake and waiting for them.

“Shingen- why did you go to the holding cell last night?” Bella asked from behind the divider. He had already dressed in his clothing and Bella was taking a little longer than she normally would. ”Shingen, do not laugh but my breasts are kind of sore-”

“Three drunk soldiers got carried away last night. They caused a fight in the local bar and got into a fight with the jailer.” Shingen said as he went behind the divider and kissed her cheek gently. Bella covered herself up, as she was suddenly caught off guard. “Don’t act so shy, my love.” He whispered, smiling gently. “Besides, you body is changing to nourish our child-” His arms wrapped at her waist. 

“Sorry, I'm just insecure. My entire body aches.“ She mentioned, as she covered her chest with her outfit. She was wearing a white summer kimono, with an orange cloak that was very similar to Shingen’s. He paused, and observed her quietly. “Everything is packed and ready to go.”

“I’ll have the luggage brought out.” Shingen said, as he took Bella’s hand and spun her around. Someone knocked on the slider door and Shingen smiled as he let go of her hand. She sat down on the futon, not even making sure that their love bites were covered. 

“Is Lady Takeda ready to go?” Daitaro asked from the door. Shingen took a step back. 

“It would appear so.” Shingen said as Bella stood up and quickly made the futon. She picked up some of the luggage, making sure to grab the lighter ones while Shingen took the heavier ones. Daitaro scanned the couple as they were quiet, both smiling gently. Akira quietly followed her owners from behind, carrying a small bone that the head cook had given to them as a gift. Shingen left with Yukimura, leaving Daitaro and Bella alone to tend to the horses. Placing the luggage down, Bella noticed that Yuu was already tacked in a harness meant to pull a carriage. Not minding it as she assumed that Shingen had this planned out, she pulled out Kino. Kino is Shingen’s stallion. He was a horse of two colors, bay and white. His stallion was one of the sweetest to be around and Bella adored him. She hummed gently as she brushed his mane, but she, then, opened her mouth to let out a yawn. 

“Bella, did you get any sleep last night?” Dai asked in regards to the large and prominent love bite that was on her neck. 

“What makes you say that?” Bella asked as she stopped brushing his mane.

“I mean, if you look at the left side of your neck...” Bella raised her hand and felt a warm mark on her neck as her cheeks turned pink. “I would say you got little to no sleep last night-”

“Oh umm.” Bella’s cheeks flushed pink as she turned quickly back towards the horse and rubbed his neck. The stallion snorted and started to paw the ground in front of him. She shushed him and he turned his head, nudging the girl gently. 

“I take the lack of a response as a no-” Dai chuckled as Bella continued to groom Kino. The four men, Sasuke, Saizo, Yukimura and Shingen, entered the barn carrying a large blue and white pitbull in a handmade stretcher. 

“Where did you find him?” Bella exclaimed as the men placed the dog in the cart they were taking back to the castle. She quickly made her way over to him and climbed up onto the carriage. The dog seemed to be in pain and the wound was healing, but it appeared to have a minor infection. 

“Saizo and I went for a walk to the stables last night after the two of you left the room. We had heard a whimper from near the doors and found him there with an arrow sticking out of his left shoulder. We tried to clean and wrap the wound before bed last night.” Daitaro said with a small hint of emotion in her voice. Saizo came up behind her and gently rubbing his hands over her shoulders and down her arms.

“You guys did the right thing. Now, let me handle this.” She said, as she went into her emergency medical bag. She had some crushed herbs, that she made into a ointment. With a small needle, she stepped down from the carriage as Shingen held her hand. She searched her medical kit and found what she was looking for. “Boiling horse hair makes it tougher so I can use it as a stitch.” She said, threading the hair through the needle. She went back into the carriage and closed the hole with ease. She knotted the suture and cut it off using the sharp side of her hairpin. 

“Where did you learn this?” Shingen asked, confused. 

“You learn a lot when you care too deeply for humans and animals.” Bella said, cutting the sleeve off of her white kimono and wrapping it around the dog’s shoulder. “Change this every day and make sure you put the ointment on top of the stitches every time.” Bella rummaged through the medical bag. “Remind me to make more of that ointment when we get back to the castle.” She mentioned as she looked at Shingen. Shingen nodded his head and took Yuu out of his stall to hitch to the wagon. Bella got out of the wagon and started to help pack the mules with their luggage. 

“Bella, leave that to me.” Yuki said as he took the luggage from Bella and let her step aside. Saizo left Dai as he went to help Yuki load the luggage. Dai started to tack up both Inazuma and Shinobu. Bella went back over to Shingen and grabbed some padding out of her small bag and padded the cart with it. Shingen carefully picked up the dog and placed him down on it. 

“He should be comfortable with that.”

“Would you be comfortable?”

“Of course-”

“Good because you’re going in the carriage with him.” Shingen said as he picked up the female and placed her on the cart. The two were now at eye level and both were smiling with happiness. His arms were placed around her waist as he pressed his forehead on her own, Bella’s arms draped over his shoulders. Her cheeks turned pink as he cupped it and planted a small kiss on her soft pink lips.

“Alright lovebirds, why don’t you get a room? Oh wait, we technically still have our rooms for a couple more hours. Or, did you get enough of that last night?” Dai asks with a smirk and she hears Saizo start cracking up from behind her. She also noticed a blush arrive on Yuki’s cheeks. “How would you like it if Saizo and I started making out in front of you? ” 

Bella let go of him and turned her head away from Shingen. Her face was bright red causing him to glare at the two of them. “Look if we keep meandering here, we’ll be late.” He said, trying to change the subject. Shingen lifted Akira up onto the carriage and gave her to Bella. 

“All right, love struck Shingen. Let’s get this band wagon moving.” Dai says with a snicker as she goes to mount her horse. Shingen put a lead on Yuu and each of the mules. He mounted Kino and held onto the lead so he could have control over the carriage. Bella made sure Sano was comfortable, even if it made herself uncomfortable. Daitaro made sure to stay by the side of the carriage, watching her new friend as they walked along the path. Saizo and Sasuke stayed at the back while Yuki stayed at the front with Shingen. Sasuke rode behind Saizo atop Shinobu.

A little over halfway through the trip, the convoy made a stop to stretch their legs and re-adjust the equipment and luggage. Bella had made sure that Sano had moved a little bit to not get sore. When the convoy stopped, Shingen quickly dismounted Kino, handed the reins over to Dai, and went over to the carriage to help Bella down. “I am not fragile-” She said as he planted her feet on the ground.

“You are.” 

“Stop denying it, Bella. You have to be extra careful.” Dai says from Inazuma’s back.

“Careful is my middle name.” Bella smirked at her friend.

“Oh, of course, Mrs. Trips-on-everything-” Dai snickers.

“Then-says-it-wasn’t-there-ten-seconds ago-” Saizo finished for his wife as he chuckles. 

“That happened twice.” Bella said stretching her back. Shingen shook his head as she wandered around. “Hey guys, did you know that there are people done by the river?” Bella said, looking back at them.

“People?” Dai questioned as Saizo looked in the same direction with his hand ready on the grey and yellow hilt of his sword.

“Yeah there are about two of them?” She said trying to guess. Shingen grabbed her quickly and brought her back towards the carriage. “What-” Bella seemed confused. 

Saizo and Dai looked at each other and back to Shingen. They all nodded and the two of them disappeared right in front of Bella’s questioning eyes, leaving Sasuke and the horses behind. Shingen mounted Kino, leaving behind Yuki and Sasuke to watch over Sano and Bella. Following the couple as fast as he could towards the group of people. Yuu stood there patiently as he flicked his tail. Bella wanted to get out of the carriage but she knew better. 

Shingen’s horse slid to a stop in front of the pair as he saw Saizo and Dai in the tree top. He knew where to look for Saizo at least; spotting Dai was a lucky guess. The large stallion snorted causing the two people to jump backwards. “Lord Takeda!” Chiho exclaimed. Shingen relaxed his shoulders for a moment as he recognized the voice.

“Chiho? You know it’s dangerous to meander off the path too far, right??” He raised his eyebrow, curious as to why the girl seemed to be by herself. After all, he didn’t know the other person with her. He took in the other man’s appearance, noting his sandy brown hair that sat neatly trimmed upon his head and the adventurous look in his brown eyes.

Saizo and Daitaro stayed in the trees eavesdropping on the conversation. 

“My cousin Ryota and I were about to head toward your town,” the girl responded, smiling a bit as she gestured to the man beside her. “He had been planning this trip for months and agreed to let me accompany him.” With that answer, the two ninjas jumped down out of the tree and landed effortlessly. This caused Ryota and Chiho to jump a bit, startled.

“Where did you guys come from?” the man now known as Ryota asked, slightly surprised and slightly awed.

“The trees.” Dai stated with a smile.

“Bella noticed people by the river so they came to investigate. We wanted to not only make sure they weren’t enemies but also to make sure they weren’t injured.” Shingen explained.

“Oh! I see. Chiho came back last night talking about just how kind all of you were and now I see for myself what she means. You were checking to make sure everyone was safe and that you could continue on your way home with no issues. The lot of you are all so kind.” Ryota said causing Chiho to roll her eyes. Daitaro smiled back at the man.

“You are all more than welcome to come back with us. The route that we are taking is much more safer than the waters edge. We have plenty of room. Chiho can ride with Yuki on his horse and you, Ryota can ride in the carriage we had prepared because of a recent injury to Saizo and Dai’s new dog.” Shingen replied with a smile. 

“Are you sure we wouldn’t be a burden to you?” Chiho asked, not wanting to impose.

“Not at all. I even believe Yuki would be excited to see you again. He was talking about you after dropping you back at your house last night.” Saizo said with a grin.

“Was he really?” Chiho raised an eyebrow, curious. She felt a small smile appear on her lips. “Yukimura was such a gentlemen last night.”

“Was he now?” Her cousin asked questioningly. Shingen let a smirk appear on his face.

“Yuki is a proper gentlemen.” Shingen replied. “Must have learned it from all of us samurai.”

“I’m glad he took good care of my cousin. There would have been problems if he didn’t.”

“Stop trying to sound threatening, Ryo,” Chiho huffed, turning to him. “It hasn’t worked yet and it won’t work now.”

Ryota shrugged as if he didn’t care about sounding threatening. The group got the sense that they formed an interesting duo.

“We have room not only in our convoy but also at the castle if you and Chiho would like to be guests of the Takeda.” Shingen replied smiling down at the two of them.

“We would be honored. If it is not a burden to any of you-” Chiho answered.

“It would be no burden at all. You can follow me.” Shingen said, as he turned Kino around and walked back up the path that he came down. The pair hadn’t noticed that Dai and Saizo had left until they were trotting along toward the small group on their horses. 

“Here, both of you can ride on the backs of Shinobu and Inazuma until we get back up the hill and to the rest of the group.” Daitaro mentioned as she held her hand out. Chiho was the one who was on Dai’s horse, Ryota on Saizo’s. Shingen carried their small luggage on the back of Kino as he led the way towards the group. Bella had gotten down and out of the carriage and was pacing; pacing was a nervous habit. Yuki had tried to get her back into the carriage but his help was no good. She heard the three horses return with two extra members. She stopped and looked up at Shingen. Yuki’s jaw dropped when he saw Chiho on Dai’s horse.

“W-why did you come?” Yuki asked, dismounting his horse quickly and ran over to help Chiho dismount Inazuma. Bella couldn’t help but smile. Saizo and Dai held in a laugh and Shingen and Sasuke smiled at the two of them.

“My cousin and I were on a trip to visit this town,” Chiho said. Yuki went over to Saizo’s horse and helped her cousin dismount, a little surprised when the boy did so on his own. Yuki bowed his head in front of her cousin. Bella wandered over to Shingen as he dismounted his horse; she was going to help load their small luggage onto the mules when Saizo and Dai came up behind her. 

“Let Saizo grab that.” Dai smirked at him as he rolls his eyes and grabs the luggage. Bella shook her head, as she listened to her friend, knowing that she needed to be extra careful. Shingen smiled as he planted a small kiss on her head and brought her to the carriage. 

“Hows Sano?” Dai asked.

“He’s doing great.” Bella said as Shingen picked her up, placing her gently on the carriage. “I am sure he’ll be up and active by tomorrow. But Shingen, I have a very serious question.”

“What is it?”

“Do we have an apple or something? I am quite famished.” She said with a chuckle as she moved Sano towards the front of the carriage. Shingen laughed a little bit as he went into one of the parcels and picked up a red apple. 

“I figured since you were starting to have cravings that I would bring some with us.” He said as he handed Bella the piece of fruit. She smiled as she bit into the crisp fruit. While Bella quietly chewed on her snack, Yuki helped Ryota climb into the carriage. 

“Make yourself comfortable, Ryota.” Yuki said with a smile.

“Will do. I am sure I have some great company here with Lady Takeda.”

“She is great company-” Shingen said, smiling as he turned from the carriage to mount his horse. That comment made Bella’s cheeks turn pink. Akira barked at the stranger but Bella had shushed her. Shingen grabbed hold of Yuu’s lead and watched Yuki help Chiho mount his horse. “Are we all settled?” He asked the convoy. 

“We are good back here!” Dai responds for herself, Saizo, and Sasuke from behind the carriage. Shingen nodded his head as he started to lead the convoy. Bella had sat herself down to the left of Sano to make sure he stayed comfortable. Akira was on the other side of her owner and Ryota sat across from Bella. Yuu stayed at a controlled pace in an attempt to keep the carriage steady for those inside. Occasionally, Shingen would turn his head to make sure everyone was comfortable. Bella and Ryota would make small talk every so often and she would laugh at a story he would tell about Chiho or his own travels. One story he told had to do with when his mother was pregnant with his younger sister.

“Really? She cleaned the entire house from top to bottom while in labor?” Bella said, her eyes slightly wide. Even in her third month, she was struggling to find the energy to stay awake after a long travel. 

“Yes she did!”

“I can hardly find the energy to stay awake most days-” Bella said quietly, Ryota’s eyes widened as he realized that she was pregnant.

“Lady Takeda, are you with child?” He asked, Bella nodded her head.

“Oh! I thought you knew since you were telling pregnancy stories.” She said beaming proudly. “Yes. I am. It is our first child.” She rubbed Akira’s coat, as the dog napped on her lap. The dog’s presence was good enough to ease off Bella’s anxieties most days. 

“Congratulations, Lady Takeda.” He said with a small smile. Shingen was eavesdropping on their conversation as he led the group down the pathway. Daitaro and Saizo were following, and Bella wrapped herself in her jacket. Sano whined slightly which caused her a little concern. Bella moved Akira onto the floor of the carriage beside her as she looked at the mildly injured dog. Bella started to worry due to the fact that she had no pain medication, whether for human or animal, in her possession to give to the suffering animal. “You have a way with animals, don’t you?”

“My father always loved animals and he made sure to teach me everything he knew. From stitching to what herbs to use, how to crush them and make it into an ointment.” She said, making sure the dressing on the dog’s wound was secure but not too tight. Ryota nodded his head as he turned and watched Yuki with his cousin, worry running through his mind.

“My Lady, can you tell me something?”

“Of course-”

“Yukimura won’t harm my cousin, right?” Bella smiled at his honest worry.

“Yuki has an amazing heart. He may be one of the most skilled samurai out there but he could not hurt a lady. He has a large pure heart and Shingen trusts him with my life.”

“If Lord Takeda trusts him that much to leave someone he loves so dearly in the hands of him, I suppose can accept it.”

“Trust me. Chiho is in great hands.” Bella said, she leaned back on the wall of the carriage as the two of them became quiet. Bella had started to drift off into a soft sleep until she felt the carriage come to a stop. She opened her eyes, and looked about as they were still on the road. The travel back was taking a bit longer than it should be. 

“Halt!” She heard a voice say from ahead of them. She wondered who could it be considering there were no tolls on the route toward Kai. Her heart started to race when she heard a sword being removed from its sheath. “What is in the carriage, traveller?”

“My wife, another traveller, along with two dogs.” Shingen spoke calmly as he did not want to cause anything in the presence of the ladies. A man walked to the carriage and he poked his head in. As he got into the carriage, Bella moved just a bit to get comfortable. 

“Do not move you broad!” He yelled at her, Bella gulped and nodded her head. He poked the injured dog and Sano flinched a bit. Akira growled softly as she was being protective of her owner but Bella was quick to cover her mouth. “Control that mutt or else I’ll have both of your heads.” He muttered as he left the carriage. “All clear in the carriage.”

“Check the parcels-” yelled the other man. The man that came into the carriage checked each parcel only finding clothes and various food items. He took away the valuable peppermint tea that was in one of the bags. They were deemed safe to pass through but had to pay a toll. The carriage lurched forward, and Bella held onto her mouth as tears started to form from her eyes.

“Ryota. Is Milady okay?” Shingen yelled into the carriage.

“Yes- she is okay.” Ryotai replied. “She looks shaken up.” 

“Did he threaten her?”

“N-no.” Bella stammered, but he could tell it was a lie due to the tremor in her voice. 

“Yes he did. She moved to get comfortable and then went to stop the smaller dogs growl and he threatened to take her head.” Ryota said as Bella tried to staunch her soft sobs. 

“That asshole.” Daitaro growled, ready to go back towards the toll.

“We won’t do anything until we rest. Right now, our main concern is getting back to Kai.” Shingen replied making it obvious that he was angry and that he was barely able to contain it. “They will probably be there until one of us are notified at the castle.” 

\------------------

Shingen was furious but he knew that they had to continue to travel until the sun started to set. When it did, they were still far from the castle. They stopped the convoy and everyone started to stretch their legs. Bella, on the other hand, was quietly making dinner as Yuki started a fire. “Dai, Saizo, come with me. Yuki, Sasuke and Ryota stay here with the ladies.” Shingen said as he mounted his stallion once more, flames burning in his eyes. 

“As you wish.” Dai answered as she mounted Inazuma. Saizo nodded and mounted his horse as well. They all turn their horses back towards the toll, this time moving at a neck break pace. The horses, trained for endurance, were easy to steer through the hills easily without missing a single step. It did not take long before they found the toll and stopped a little ways away. They sat in a line on their horses and spoke in hushed voices.

“So we are going to make them pay for threatening us right?” Dai said as her blood was boiling.

“Threatening the Tigress of Kai is just the same as threatening the Tiger.” He said, as he put his hand on the orange and black hilt of his sword.

They tied their horses to a nearby tree, however, not one too close. They split up to surround the men. They all closed in around the toll but at varying paces. Shingen showed up first in front of them.

“Aren’t you the man from earlier with the cart and that idiot of a woman?” The head man said staring up at Shingen’s face. As much as this enraged him, he stayed calm, knowing that if he showed his anger it would only encourage the fools.

“Shouldn’t you be a little nicer?” They heard a female voice coming from diagonally to the right behind them. They turned slightly to see Dai walking up to them with a confident stride. 

“Do you even know who he is?” Came another male’s voice from diagonally to the left behind them. They turned and saw Saizo walking casually with an emotionless face. That alone sent a chill down their spines.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anyone who looks like you around these lands. Why. Are. You. Here?” Dai says making sure to clearly enunciate every word with a step forward. As she moved closer, Saizo and Shingen moved to behind the men. With every one of her steps, they took one back until their backs hit a wall behind them. They turned around, wondering why there would be a wall in the middle of the woods, only to find the other two standing there looking down on them with their arms crossed over their chests.

“Where do you think you are going?” Shingen said with a calm but deep voice. The men shivered as if a cold wind went through the forest.

“N-n-no w-where, sir.” They barely were able to stutter out.

“Have you figured out who you are dealing with yet?” Saizo said nonchalantly boring holes into the men with his emotionless red eyes. 

“N-no..” The men say quietly.

Daitaro pipes up sticking her face between their heads, “You are looking directly at Lord Takeda, or the Tiger of Kai.”

The eyes of both of the men go wide as they hear his name. “I don’t believe you have told us exactly why you are here. I expect an answer after you threatened my wife and one of our dogs. My ‘idiot’ wife just happens to be carrying our unborn child.” 

One of the men shivered and tried to escape only to be caught by Dai. She took his arm and twisted it behind his back and kicked the back of his knee causing him to sharply fall to the ground. She grabbed a fist full of his hair and pulled his head back making him look up at Shingen. 

“Are you going to try and escape also?” Shingen said as looked at the other man. The man saw a glint in Lord Takeda’s eye and the next thing he knew, he felt the sharp point of a blade against the back of his neck. He swallowed and shook his head. 

“What doesn’t sit well with me isn’t the money you stole from us or the tea, but more so the fact that you made my wife, who, need I remind you, is pregnant, feel terrified by telling her you were going to take her head.” He said, as he held the hilt of his sheathed sword in his hand. “Saizo, Daitaro, what do you think we should do with these fools?” Shingen asked the couple without taking his eyes off the the fools.

They all seem to come to the same conclusion: kill them. With a slight nod from all three of them, Daitaro took her hand from the man’s hair and pulled her sword out from its sheath bhind her back. Both the men could hear the sound of the sword as it was pulled from its holster. They both tried to beg for forgiveness saying that if they spared their lives they would leave and never come back. However, it was far too late for apologies. 

With one swift movement, Dai took the man’s shirt in one of her hands as she pulled him up from the ground. Saizo stood with his sword to the man’s neck waiting for a sign from his wife. She looked back at him and in that moment he knew it was the end. They both quickly swung their swords up and let them fall in a silent arch, cleanly beheading both men. Dai released the man in front of her letting him fall limply to the ground. She heard a thump next to her as the man in front of Saizo thudded to the ground next to his now lifeless friend. After disposing of the two bodies, the three of them get on their horses and travel back to the convoy. 

“Nice work.” Shingen said with a relieved sigh as they swiftly galloped through the trees.

\------------------

Bella and Chiho went to make a nice stew with what vegetables they had left. They set to work quickly to make sure it would be done by the time the others got back.Yuki, Sasuke, and Ryota were standing nearby, alert in case someone dared to sneak up on them. Bella had cut the majority of the vegetables using a small knife while Chiho began mixing the ingredients together. “Chiho, can you grab that pot on one of the mule’s backs?” Bella asked, as she made sure that the fire was settled for making the meal. 

Chiho nodded and stood, moving to grab the pot. Bella observed her curiously, wondering if the girl was typically quiet. The girl returned and handed the pot over to Bella before resuming her part in cooking. Bella had poured some water in the pot and set it over the fire.

“Chiho, are you excited to be coming to Kai?” Bella asked, accidentally putting her hand near the flames. She yelped as she felt the heat, yanking her hand back and trying to cool the small blister that appeared. 

“Are you okay, Lady Takeda?” Chiho asked, blinking. She stopped what she was doing and moved beside Bella, checking over the injury. “It does not appear to have burned too badly, but I would wrap it up to prevent anything from infecting it.”

“No need to worry. It is only a small burn. I will address it later.” Bella said, as she moved her hand. “Please, do not call me Lady Takeda, it is too formal. Those who live in the castle call me Bella.” She said with a soft smile. 

“If that is what you would prefer,” Chiho agreed, nodding slightly. “As for your earlier question, I suppose I am.” Bella had watched the water start to boil and she placed the vegetables in the boiling water.

“Suppose?” Bella questioned, sitting down on the log besides her. “What do you mean ‘suppose’?” Bella looked up into the night sky. “The castle is a safe place for all those who reside within it.”

“I have no issues with regards to how safe the castle is,” Chiho smiled a bit while shaking her head. “I am sure that between the three men, it is well protected. I say ‘suppose’ because I do not typically get excited over much. While I do not get the chance to do it often, I do love travelling and going to new places. However, I believe that my nerves about going to a place I have never been to before outweigh the excitement I feel, and therefore, it does not seem like I am excited.”

“Oh no no no.” Bella started. “The castle is very well protected, but I mean like it is a place of happiness. Where you meet people from various places and you just are content. I, for one, never imagined staying at the castle. I wanted to run back home to the capital as fast as I could, but yet something about this place kept me here.”

Chiho smiled a bit wider. “I can imagine that your husband has something to do with you thinking that.”

Bella let out a soft chuckle as she went to stir the vegetables. “Possibly. But it is just... this place has reminded me of what it is to feel free. It is not something easily describable.” She said, looking back at her.

“Perhaps it may be because of the way the castle was designed,” Chiho mused, thinking in her mind about what kind of building this castle was. Such topics have always fascinated her, even if it was not something women typically thought about.

“What do you mean by that, if you don’t mind my asking?” Bella looked at her curiously. This girl was proving to be a great conversation partner.

“Well,” Chiho bit her lip, trying to think of the best way to phrase her response. “I know it is not common for a woman to study such topics, but I have always been fascinated with the subject of architecture. In particular, the way buildings stand and how they are designed. Each building has its own unique aspects that make it what it is. I believe that if a building or space was designed to give a certain feeling or with a particular intent, then that is what will be felt.”

Bella turned her head, slightly confused but very impressed of what this girl knew. “For someone who has this much knowledge of architecture, why not join the profession?” Bella asked, ignoring the fact the steam was hurting her hand a little bit. 

“I have thought about it,” Chiho stated as she began picking at her robes. She starting tearing a small piece off of it to use as a bandage for Bella’s hand. “While I feel I could handle the judgment that comes along with it, I do not feel my practical skills are quite up to par yet. Nor do I feel like I could currently handle the physicality of it. I have heard it takes quite a bit of time and often leaves people exhausted. I have trouble staying or getting to sleep sometimes, so I feel as though until I can get my sleeping habits under control and practice the practical skills more, I would be better off waiting to join the profession and just studying what I can in my free time.”

“Well, at the castle we do have the best architect, I think. Have you heard of Hirano Okuma?” Bella asked, tilting her head. 

“Yes, I have heard of him,” Chiho nodded, a bit surprised by that information. “However, I would prefer to get settled in and learn more about the place first before I consider resuming my studies with it. Plus, I do not know how long Ryota plans on staying and I would like to spend quite a bit of time with him before he decides to leave again.”

Bella nodded her head, as she thought about it. “Him? You mean your cousin or Yuki?” Bella asked, as she went to take the now finished stew off the fire.

"My cousin, of course,” Chiho replied. She finished tearing the robe and grabbed Bella’s hand, beginning to wrap it. She had noticed the steam bothering the wound. “He has a sort of wandering soul. He does not like to sit in one place for too long. Ryota is constantly traveling between home and whatever place he plans on going to. He loves exploring. I have been with him on a couple of his trips, but he always puts up a fight about me coming along. I find it funny that he is a few years younger than me but is considered more responsible.”

“You do not have to worry about me.” Bella said, watching Chiho with her gentle hazel eyes. “If he doesn’t like sitting in one place, he can travel with my husband on trips and stuff.”

“I will suggest the idea to him, but I cannot say for sure if he will take you up on it,” Chiho chuckled. “And while I am sure you do not mind the minor burn, I know that if it is covered, you will be less tempted to pick at it and there is less of a chance of it getting infected. I don’t believe your husband would be too happy if you left it untreated, or at least unwrapped.”

“True true. My husband would not be a happy camper. I can tell he isn’t happy currently due to the fact that we got stopped.” She said, quieting down a little bit. “I mean yeah-”

Chiho chuckled a bit as they set to work on finishing the stew. “So, when do you think they will be back? Do they usually take a while?”

“Yeah they typically do...” Bella replied, watching as the three of them come up on their horses, dismounting, and taking off their tack. Bella had a small smile on her face. “Well, they arrived.”

Dai and Saizo walk up to the fire that the others had put together. They stood close to one another by the warmth of the fire. Bella had an extra jacket on as she had gotten cold when the sun went down. She held onto a bunch of portable bowls as Chiho used the ladled stew into each bowl. Bella smiled as she handed the bowl to each person. 

“Thank you!” Dai said cheerfully as she took the steaming food from her friend. Saizo nodded and smiles his thanks and sat down to the right of Dai. Bella nodded her head, still not really saying much as she handed a bowl to Ryota, Sasuke, Yuki and lastly Shingen. Shingen was the one who noticed her trembling hands. He grasped her free hand and lead her to the carriage. The two were quiet about their chatter and her hand was quickly wrapped in a clean cloth and aloe ointment. The two of them walked back to the group and had picked up their bowls and sat down by the fire. 

“There are seconds for those who want them.” Chiho said, “Bella made an abundance of stew.” Bella smiled again as she focussed on eating her meal. She sat next to Shingen and he placed his own coat over her shoulders. 

“I honestly do not think the trail is safe enough to stay the entire night.” Shingen mentioned causing Bella looked up at him. “We do not know how many more of those fools we will run into-”

“What do you mean, Milord?” Sasuke questioned. Yuki, Chiho, and Ryota sat near the young boy. 

“We should rest for an hour or two then head back to the castle. We shouldn’t be that far away.”

“I agree with Shingen. I think it would be best for us to make it back to the castle rather than stay out here. The idiots we ran into earlier won’t be a problem but we don’t know how many more are out there.” Dai says in agreement.

“If that was only what we had seen in one of the ‘tolls’ there are probably many more ahead. That seemed to be just the start of them as there were few people and they had not even established a base.” Shingen said, he clutched onto the bowl he was holding onto and Bella placed her hand on his leg in an attempt to calm him down just a little bit. “I don’t want to just make sure Bella is safe but everyone else, too, especially our new guests.”

“Shingen, we passed by no tolls on our way there. They had to have set up after we passed by-” Bella piped in for just a minute. “They are probably claiming to be your soldiers and that they need to pay for taxes-”

“The last ones we ran into couldn’t even tell who Shingen was until they were told. I doubt they would be convincing enough to fool people. Although, if they threatened people, they definitely could get money thrown their way.” Dai spoke up from across the fire.

“I do not want innocent people to be fooled by such idiots and to have to pay for safe passage.” Bella stated matter-of-factly, “The roads should be safe no matter what.” Akira walked up to Bella and rubbed her head against her side. “Plus, they threatened the lives of innocent animals such as Sano and Akira.”

“Why would they even be taxing travellers?” Chiho asked looking at Shingen.

“Merchants use these roads to bring their goods to and from far away lands. They probably asked what was in the carriage, expecting me to say something that was of value, like porcelain or silver.” Shingen started, his hand entwined with Bella’s as he spoke. “They were probably about to ambush us when they sent the idiot into the carriage to make sure that I was not lying.”

“The nerve of some people!”

“Chiho, it is all okay.” Yuki said, smiling at her gently. Bella looked up at Shingen and she shivered slightly. 

“I’ll readdress your wound tomorrow, Bella.” He said, gently placing his lips on her forehead. 

“It’ll be fine.” She said, as she finished the last bite of her stew. She really did not want seconds, so she allowed everyone else to eat before she did. All she really wanted was a piece of bread. Daitaro had taken her bowl and had given her another scoop full. 

“Bella, you are nourishing another body please eat more.” Dai said as she handed Bella the bowl. Bella relaxed her shoulders as she finished eating. Shingen did not take seconds because he wanted the others to have it. 

“Rest up for an hour. Ryota, Chiho and Bella will be in the carriage. Everyone else can ride.” Shingen mentioned as he stood up before he walked over to the parcels and grabbed his spare jacket. When Shingen return, he picked up Bella and brought her to the carriage. “Bella, you are brave and you are strong. I need you to be stronger for everyone and keep yourself safe, for the sake of the baby.”

“I will be.”

“You need to protect the precious little life inside of you, and I’ll protect you and everyone else.” He said, Bella looked up at him and wrapped her arms around him and tightly embraced him.

“Shingen, have I ever said that I love you?” She said, tears falling from her eyes. She looked at him as she cried on his shoulder. He wiped her tears with his thumbs. 

“I love you too Bella.” Shingen replied, with a small smile on his own face. As Bella rested in the carriage, they had extinguished the fire and packed their belongings. They all tacked their horses and mounted them, preparing for the shorter leg of the trip back. Bella sat in the middle of the carriage with Sano in front of her and Akira on her lap. Ryota sat to one side and Chiho on the other. Once everyone was situated and ready, they started walking along the road.

Shingen, Yuki, Dai, and Saizo were scanning the area from all around the carriage. They had Shingen at the head because he was also leading Yuu down the path, Dai to the right of the carriage, Yuki to the left, and Saizo pulling up the rear. They made sure to have the carriage covered on all sides. 

Inside the carriage, Bella had started to doze off because of the long journey and the late hours at which they were moving. She was also tired because of the wear and tear that carrying a child causes on a woman’s body. Shingen would look back every now and again making sure his wife was okay as well as check with the others that they had not seen anything of interest. Chiho had started to close her eyes while she rested her head on Ryoto’s shoulder as well. Bella had given the two of them blankets earlier, so they would not get a chill.

They travelled along the path for what seemed like hours until they looked up and saw the castle getting closer and closer. Shingen checked back again just as Bella was waking up. She looked around and asked, “How much further until we get back?” 

Shingen smiled as her grogginess and pointed out in front of him. “The castle is within view so not much longer.”

Just as he says this, he hears a voice from behind him. Saizo rides up to Shingen’s side and whispers that he sees someone a little ways up the path. He can’t make out exactly who it is but they don’t look nice. Shingen stops the convoy and has Saizo give his horse over to Sasuke, who was still riding behind him, and go get an idea of who it is. 

Saizo takes off into the trees and within minutes he is back and tells Shingen that they don’t seem hostile but they look as if they are doing exactly what the idiots from before were doing along the path. Saizo mounts back on his horse with Sasuke behind him. Shingen decides that he will give them the benefit of the doubt since Saizo thinks they aren’t dangerous. They continue along the path until they reach the singular man standing there. He tells them to stop the carriage. 

However, It is not long before he looks up and sees Shingen. “Lord Takeda! I am so sorry for stopping you.” He says as he drops to his hands and knelt before him.

“As you were.” Shingen says to the man and he stands up from the ground “What is it you are doing here? Answer me honestly. If I suspect you are lying it might cost you your life. I had a run in with similar people along the path a few hours again and it didn’t end well for them. So play your cards wisely.” Shingen says bluntly to the man on the ground.

“I have been trying to collect money from travelers. Probably much like the others you saw. However, I am not taking it from those who are more desperate than myself. If one more desperate than myself comes along, I usually choose to give some of my collected money to them.”

“I do not appreciate you trying to scam money out of people so close to my castle. Since you can be generous to others, I will choose to let you off with a warning. However if I see you around here again, you will not be so lucky. So get out of here before I change my mind.” The other man bows deeply and runs off. Everyone watches him go until they cannot see him any longer.

Once he is out of sight, Shingen starts walking again because he wants to get back before it gets any colder and causes any more discomfort to his wife and his companions. It is not long until they pass through the gates to the Takeda castle. A swarm of men and a few of Bella’s maids surround them trying to help grab luggage and check to make sure everyone is intact after their little adventure to the beach. Bella made sure to help bring Sano back to Saizo and Daitaro’s home that was on the property of the castle. She made sure the dog was comfortable before she headed back to the castle and towards the guest bedroom. The dog was fine, of course, and she needed to make the medicine in the morning. Bella quickly scampered off back to the castle and into the guest room, finding a maid already prepping the room. Later tonight, Yuki would show Ryota and Chiho to the room. She sighed as she could check something off of her list of things to do. She then returned to where Shingen was and offered her help in caring for the horses. 

“Shingen, do you need help?” She asked quietly as she entered the barn. She found Shingen brushing Yuu thoroughly and lightly sponging down the sweat marks because he did not want to cause any illness with the cooler weather that night. Daitaro was grooming Inazuma and Saizo was doing the same with Shinobu. Shingen seemed shocked that Bella was still awake, but he expected nothing less from her. 

“Could you throw some hay into each of the horse’s stalls?” He asked, giving her the easier of jobs. Though he really did not want her to, he did so anyway knowing she wouldn’t let him get away with not giving something. She nodded her head as she flaked the horses. When they were done, Shingen put Yuu in his stall and took Bella’s hand. 

“Thank you for travelling with us.” Shingen bowed deeply to Saizo and Dai, Bella followed with the bow as well. “Please take the next few days off and rest up.”

“Please do not bow to us. We should be bowing to you for letting us follow along.” Dai says as she bows to both of them. Saizo follows suit even though he knows it is not necessary. Bella and Shingen returned to their normal posture and they nodded their heads. 

“Please take tomorrow off at least.” Bella said with a smile, she leaned on Shingen just a little bit.”I’ll be around in the afternoon to check on Sano.”

“Thank you, Milady. We will do just so. Thank you for helping our new friend back there on the carriage. You were amazing.” Dai says to Bella with a smile.

“It was no problem. You saved my bum so many times that it was the least I could do, Dai.” Bella smiled, looking up at Shingen, her eyes gentle. 

“Bella why don’t you go back to your room and rest. You had a long day. We will check on Sano’s wound again and make sure it is clean and wrapped before we go to bed tonight. You need to rest for both you and that child of yours.” Dai said to her quietly and started leading her back to her room. Shingen and Saizo follow behind the ladies until they reach the back of the castle doors.

“There should be spare ointment in one of the parcels I left there. It is in a jar that is wide and circular. You’ll know what it is because it smells minty.” Bella said, trying to recall where she put it. She followed Dai towards the room and she looked back at Shingen. “I will see you both sometime in the morning.” She said, hugging Dai then Saizo and Akira nearly made her fall over as she turned around to go into her room. “I swear she wasn’t there-”

“Just get to bed carefully.” Shingen said with a small laugh as the dog bolted into the bedroom in front of her. Shingen smirked as he entered the bedroom behind her. 

“Oh, Mrs. trips-over-everything-and-then-claims-it-wasn’t-there-ten-seconds-ago.” Dai says with a laugh and walks with Saizo to their small home.

“Goodnight, rest well.” Shingen said with a soft smile. Closing the slider door behind them.

\------------------

Saizo and Daitaro walk hand-in-hand back to their home. Once inside, Saizo slides the door shut. Daitaro had retrieved the ointment that Bella had mentioned before and started to take off Sano’s bandage. He whimpered slightly at the touch of the cool ointment being dabbed onto his wound. Once he is medicated and rewrapped, Daitaro stands up to put the ointment on the nearby table. The second she turns around Saizo is there taking her hands in his. He backs her up against a wall and places his hands on either side of her face. She looks up at him as he presses her up against the wall with his own body.

“Saizo-” she begins but is cut off by his lips crashing down onto hers. The kiss starts out slow but turns deep and passionate. He positions his leg in between hers and he hears a throaty moan coming out through their kiss. He pulls away and smirks at her. 

“Ah. I want you to be louder-” He says before kissing her neck and nipping at her ear. She looked down and nodded embarrassed. He leads her to the bed and lays her body down underneath him. They stay on the bed for what feels like hours making love to each other before collapsing down onto the sheets breathless. Saizo takes her in his arms and lets her head rest on his arm giving her forehead a light kiss. 

“Good night little lady. You did well today. Now get some rest. We have all day tomorrow to do whatever we want to do.” He says before pulling her close against him and drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please let us know what you think in the comments and stay posted for the next chapter to come! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> -Dai, Bella, and Chiho

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked the chapter! Stay tuned for our next chapter.
> 
> I'd like to make sure the credit for the idea of this story went to my co author lavita_pazza (Bella is based off of her). She decided to write a story after she started playing SLBP and asked me to be a part of it. Daitaro is based off of myself.
> 
> Bella: lavita_pazza  
> Daitaro: frendlyequestrian  
> Chiho: dandelion657


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